Love Bites
by GreenPaw
Summary: Marinette has always fumbled over how she could express her love to Adrien. When she does it accidentally via Instagram post, she quickly discovers that Adrien doesn't feel the same way. Unbeknown to her, Adrien feels terrible about hurting his friend and offers her comfort in the guise of Chat Noir.
1. Exposing Her Love

_Dear Reader, my aim for this story is to produce about 500 words a chapter to get my creativity flowing. I've been a bit burnt out in writing and decided this is a good way to get things going again without too much pressure on myself. So yes, chapters will be short but the aim is for fluffy goodness._

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_Chapter One - Exposing Her Love_

With an exasperated sigh, Marinette ripped the page from her notebook and balled it into a crumpled mess before tossing it in her bin. Expressing her feelings on a page just didn't work. How many times had she tried to tell Adrien how she'd felt only to blunder the delivery of such a love note? Too many times to count. Or more importantly, more than she wanted to remember.

Dropping her head to rest on the blank notebook page, Marinette tossed the pen from her fingers and sank them into her hair. "Why is this so hard?" she griped to herself.

But with the question aired out loud, Tikki assumed it was meant for her. "It's because this is important to you, Marinette. Plus, you like doing things exactly as you planned. Unfortunately, all your plans so far in winning Adrien's heart have gone awry."

"Like I need reminding," she grumbling into the page pressed to her face.

"It doesn't mean you should stop trying."

Marinette let out a sceptical groan but she was interrupted from replying to Tikki as her phone pinged with a notification. Lifting her head, the page stuck briefly to her bottom lip before coming free with a jerk of her chin. With heavily lidded eyes, Marinette tapped the screen of her phone. Those eyelids snapped wide open in a flash as she realised the notification was from Adrien's Instagram. He'd posted a photo of himself sitting at his piano holding up two lots of sheet music as he asked which one he should play.

While the question was to his general followers, Marinette felt as though her crush was reaching out to her directly. Her fingers skimmed across the screen of her phone as she typed out a response. _'Play what makes your heart sing. Knowing you're happy brings a radiance to you as a person. You're so beautiful, Adrien, and it's more than skin deep. Your very soul calls to mine. I just wish I could express how much you mean to me, and how much I love you.'_

Marinette paused to appraise what she'd written. She hadn't meant to gush and knew that she shouldn't post her response. As she shifted to delete her impulsive words, the trapdoor behind her opened with a thump, startling her enough to jump in her chair. It also resulted in the accidental tap of her thumb on her phone's screen, meaning she did the one thing she hadn't intended on doing, posting her innermost thoughts of love towards Adrien for the whole world to see.

Yet the girl was completely unaware. Instead her free hand was placed over her racing heart as she turned to stare at her mother. "You frightened me half to death."

"Sorry sweetheart, I just wanted to let you know that your father has finished cooking and the oven is free if you want to do your usual macaron batch."

A faint flush filled Marinette's cheeks. Yes, she was still making macarons for Adrien on the sly. Though he rarely got them. Again, it was almost like the universe was conspiring against her. Be it tripping over her own feet or simply missing her opportunity to give the treat to him.

But as Sabine headed back down stairs, Marinette's phone began pinging repeatedly. As she glanced down she realised what she'd done and gasped in horror. There against that sweet photo of Adrien was her response and as she considered how to delete her post the model's name flashed on her phone as it began to ring.

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**No doubt you've got an idea of what's coming next. Regardless, I'd love to hear your thoughts on how it might play out. **

**Thanks for reading :)**


	2. The Unhappy Truth

_Chapter Two – The Unhappy Truth_

In the stifling quiet of his bedroom, Adrien sat at his piano wondering what to play. His day had been tiring due mostly to boredom. Another photoshoot tainted with the seething displeasure of his father at the photographer for taking so long. The model rolled his head in attempt to free up the muscles in his neck. Holding poses for long lengths of time in awkward positions meant aches and pains later.

Lifting a hand to his nape, Adrien massaged the base of his scalp as he flicked through his sheet music, trying to decide what to play. Pursing his lips, the model couldn't decide on a particular piece and glanced at his kwami. Plagg was busy snoozing on the windowsill in the fading afternoon sunlight. So, there was no point in asking his opinion.

Picking up his phone, Adrien considered calling Nino but then remembered he was supposed to be using Instagram to raise his profile and promote his image. It wasn't something he was necessarily comfortable with, but Adrien tended to do what he was told. Well at least when he wasn't sneaking off to be Chat Noir.

With nimble fingers, the model selected two pieces he enjoyed playing and decided to ask his followers their opinion. Surely, he'd get some responses pretty quickly. With his photo snapped, posted and linked with his question there was nothing to do but wait. It wasn't particularly surprising when he got the usual responses of _'Will you marry me, Adrien?' _or more disturbingly _'Forget the piano, come make beautiful music together with me.'_

Adrien shuddered. Chances were some of the people responding were probably as old as his father. But as he waited a number of genuine responses came through with their opinions of which piece he should chose. A grin lit his face as he saw Marinette's handle appear. Green eyes hungrily digested her response then confusion lined his brow.

_'Play what makes your heart sing. Knowing you're happy brings a radiance to you as a person. You're so beautiful, Adrien, and it's more than skin deep. Your very soul calls to mine. I just wish I could express how much you mean to me, and how much I love you.'_

On one level, her words touched him on a deep level but as he'd continued to read, dawning apprehension pushed aside that blissful feeling. This wasn't the first time he'd gotten the impression that Marinette felt more for him than friendship. But when he'd questioned her in the past she would brush it aside saying it was a silly joke, a prank even. Was this meant to be serious or was she pulling his tail? Not that he currently had one. Yet his gut feeling screamed that her words rang of truth.

Over and over, he read her post, analysing her words as he considered their meaning. Up to those last two sentences he could accept it as the words of a thoughtful friend. After that, he was certain he was reading a confession of love. Now that was something he was familiar with, at least as his alter ego.

How many times had he told Ladybug that he desired her? He cringed at the thought. Time and time again she rejected his advances and claimed to love another. It was a point of contention between them, and one she tended to ignore. Letting out a heavy sigh, Adrien picked up his phone as he considered what to do. Discovering your feelings weren't reciprocated by the object of your affection was heartbreaking, and he didn't want to break Marinette's heart. Yet he didn't feel that compelling need to be with her the way he felt for Ladybug.

While he liked Marinette, that like didn't go deeper than devoted friendship. Adrien felt a strong sense of loyalty to his school friend, which was only going to make this harder. She deserved a response, even if it wasn't the one she was hoping for. Swallowing back the sudden sense of guilt that ate at him, Adrien dialled her number.

The phone rang five times before Marinette picked up. Anxiety laced her voice with her simple greeting of "Hi."

Clearing his own throat, Adrien launched straight to the point. "I got your message."

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**And since the chapters are so short, I need to stop there. I know, cliffhanger - boo, hiss. On the bright side, having such a short chapter aim of 500 words minimum means I've already drafted nine of them - happy days. **

**Thanks for reading, and please don't clobber the review section with your frying pan. It has feelings too XD**


	3. Kind Words Cut Deep

_Chapter Three – Kind Words Cut Deep_

Sweat had the phone slipping in Marinette's hand as she held it to her ear. Adrien's velvet voice was like a physical caress but it was the strain in his voice which alerted the girl to what he was likely to say. With a nervous giggle she gripped the phone tighter. "Oh, you saw that. I figured you needed some cheering up."

Good grief, the forced cheer was so bleeding obvious. Even Tikki winced before plastering a look of encouragement on her petite features.

Adrien's tone changed and she could almost hear the smile in his voice. "Yeah, I did need a little brightness in my day. What you said was really nice, Marinette. You've always been an amazing friend."

Oh hell, he'd gone and said 'friend'. This was the beginning of the end. How could she salvage her pride and more importantly, her heart? Marinette opened her mouth to speak but Adrien beat her to the punch.

"About that last bit." The model paused and drew in a deep breath. "You really feel that way, don't you?"

It was on the tip of her tongue to deny it all but honestly, what was the point? She'd been trying to express her true feelings to Adrien for years. It was time to come clean. Letting out a wistful sigh, Marinette scrunched her eyes closed and simply said, "Yes."

Silence practically echoed down the line. It could have been mere seconds but it felt like hours to Marinette. The metaphorical axe was poised over her head and she was simply waiting for it to fall.

"I'm really flattered, Marinette, but… I, um. My heart belongs to someone else. I'm really sorry." A pleading note entered his voice. "This won't ruin our friendship, will it? You mean a lot to me, Marinette. You're one of my closest friends."

Silent tears rolled down her cheeks as her chin wobbled but Marinette was determined to hide just how deeply his words slashed her. "No… we'll be okay. I… I just might need a bit of space for a while."

"I'm sorry Marinette. I know what it's like to be rejected. Heck, I should have spoken to you face to face. Then at least I could have given you a hug."

He knew what it was like to be rejected? Who in their right mind would reject Adrien Agreste? Shock momentarily halted her tears. Then his offer of a hug tore her asunder. How could his kindness be so cruel?

Her hesitation in responding had him speaking again. "Do you want me to come over? I'm sure I could convince Nathalie under the circumstances."

Marinette shook her head, then realised he couldn't see her. "No, it's fine."

"But I've upset you, Marinette."

Damn, so much for her effort in concealing how devastated she was. "I want to be alone," she managed to choke out.

Adrien continued, concern thick in his voice. "I can understand if you don't want to see me but I can call Alya for you."

"That's sweet, Adrien. But I meant what I said. I just need space."

"Are you sure?"

Why did he have to be so nice, even as he broke her heart? "If I need someone to talk to, I'll call Alya."

His hesitation was obvious. "Okay, as long as you're sure."

"I am."

"Alright. Is it okay if I text you later?"

"Sure," she replied in her eagerness to end this awkward conversation.

Between the pair of them, they made their stilted farewells. Marinette wiped her cheeks with the back of her sleeve and made it her mission to delete her response to Adrien's Instagram post.

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**Okay, I'm going to be serious for a moment here because of something my eldest son told me tonight. He is worried about one of his good friends because he admitted that he's been wanting to kill himself and he's only 10. To say that I was shocked is an understatement. To think that someone so young could feel so despaired breaks my heart. If you have someone you're concerned about or feel this way, please reach out for help (check out the Beyond Blue website too - please note it is an Australian website but the advice is universal). You are important and people care for you even if you think they don't. Now go give those people you love a hug. **

**Deep stuff aside, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. It wasn't meant to be nearly as heavy as my note here.**


	4. Fallout

_Chapter Four – Fallout_

Despite her rapid move of deleting her post to Adrien, Marinette wasn't particularly optimistic of it being unseen by her school peers. She wasn't the only avid follower of Adrien Agreste. Both Chloe and Lila were just as devoted and she prayed neither of them had seen her message.

But as she settled in her seat beside Alya, the smirk on Chloe's face made it obvious that she knew. Lila's knowing green eyes also didn't bode well. Thankfully her classmates had since learnt that Lila wasn't as forthcoming in regards to the truth as they once thought, yet they still didn't seem to believe just how devious the girl actually was.

However, neither said a word about her Instagram misdemeanour as they took their seats. It was only when Adrien entered the room that the peace disappeared.

"So Adrikins, which sheet of music did you pick? I hope it made you radiantly happy."

Marinette dropped her head into her hands. Oh yeah, she'd read the message.

Adrien stood beside his desk, conveniently blocking Chloe's view of Marinette. "I played both."

"And did they make your heart sing?" Lila added from the back of the room.

There was a faint tightening of Adrien's jaw muscles as he addressed the fervent liar. "They lifted my mood," he replied with a feigned smile.

At this point Alya cut in. "Did you learn to play the Ladybug and Chat Noir movie theme music?"

Adrien genuinely perked up. "Yes, I've been practising it between learning my other pieces."

Chloe crossed her arms and huffed in her seat. "I still can't believe they're refusing to do a Queen Bee spinoff series. I mean she's the most interesting of the miraculous superheroes."

Alix groaned. "Not this crap again."

From there an argument ensued and Marinette's blunder was lost in the fray. Soon enough their teacher arrived and quietened the room. Classes continued as normal and only minimal jibes were made by Chloe and Lila, well she ignored their barbs for the most part while Adrien did his best to curb their taunting.

He really was a good friend. The thought had her sighing in disdain. Yet she didn't have time to dwell too much on that because Hawkmoth struck at the end of the school day. Again, he resurrected Mr Pigeon. Why he fixated on the waif of a man was beyond Marinette's understanding. Still, she managed to sneak off and transform. Finding an equally unamused Chat Noir on a nearby rooftop.

"Ladybug," her partner said in greeting.

"So, we're doing this again."

"Apparently," Chat nodded as he reached for his baton. "Do you want to go for his bird whistle or shall I?"

"Given your allergy to feathers, how I about I go in for the attack?"

Chat Noir shrugged. "Mr Pigeon is the one lacking feathers. What if you shoo away the pigeons?"

"Okay," Ladybug conceded. This was getting positively routine.

In no time, the duo had thwarted Mr Pigeon and once again he offered to buy them each an ice cream. But Ladybug wasn't in the mood to socialise. Not when she was nursing a broken heart. Ever perceptive, Chat Noir noticed her solemn disposition and made their excuses.

Normally the pair would part ways and find somewhere to transform back, but Chat Noir latched onto her wrist and swung her to his side, pinning her against his wiry frame. Extending his baton, he launched them to the rooftops and rushed them out of sight of the people below.

In the privacy between two wide chimneys, Chat Noir stopped and gently eased her from his side. "What's wrong, milady?"

But Ladybug simply gave him a sad smile and patted her partner on the shoulder. "I'm fine, Chat. Just a rough day." With that she turned and raced off, leaving Chat Noir standing in her wake, certain that her words didn't ring quite true.

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**Thanks to everyone for their reviews and support, it's much appreciated particularly due to the end note :)**

**Next chapter, some much anticipated MariChat ;) **


	5. A Broad Shoulder

_Chapter Five – A Broad Shoulder_

Chat Noir remained rooted to the spot despite Ladybug's departure. Since he hadn't used cataclysm during their brief encounter with Mr Pigeon, there was no rush for him to race off before the magic ran out. Instead he was lost in his own thoughts. Ladybug was sad about something and it reminded him of Marinette's mournful disposition throughout the day.

And he'd been responsible for his friend's misery while unable to help Ladybug with hers. Chat Noir felt utterly useless. Causing one friend pain while being powerless to alleviate his partner's. In both cases it was due to their resistance to let him close.

Raking his hand through his wild blonde locks, Chat Noir began pacing. There had to be something he could do. As his alter ego he hated being alone when upset. The comfort of human touch, or even just the presence of a compassionate being was enough to help lift his spirits. Surely Marinette only wanted him to leave her alone as Adrien because he'd been the source of her anguish, as for Ladybug she'd never let Chat Noir close due to her stupid rules about keeping their private lives secret.

Dropping his hands to his sides, Chat Noir paused in his pacing to gaze out at the horizon. Adrien was unable to comfort Marinette, while Chat Noir was in the same boat with Ladybug. Feline eyes widened as an idea sprang to mind. Perhaps Chat Noir could offer Marinette a sympathetic ear or shoulder to cry on.

Upon impulse the cat-themed hero reached for his baton and leapt his way across the skyline. As he came into view of the Dupain-Cheng bakery, he spotted Marinette upon her balcony staring absently forward. With feline grace, he landed on her metal railing with ease. The movement of his lean form had Marinette's head pivoting in his direction.

"Chat Noir," she said with open surprise and wide eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I was in the neighbourhood," he said with a gentle smile as he shrank down into a crouch, placing his hands before his feet as he gripped the metal. "You looked lost in your own thoughts."

A wane smile spread across her lips. "Yeah, I guess I was."

It was then he noticed the puffiness under her eyes and red-rimmed eyelids. Damn, he'd caused that. In a fluid movement, he slid from the railing and strode towards her. Before Marinette could utter a word, Chat Noir pulled her into his arms and fiercely embraced her. It took a moment for her stunned arms to encircle him in return and then Marinette let out a strangled noise that he recognised all too easily. That of complete despair at having your heart cracked open and left bleeding.

Never had Ladybug witnessed just how badly she wounded Chat Noir with her constant rejections. He'd held onto his own optimism in the hope that one day she would see him as he saw her. But for Marinette, any hope that her feelings would be reciprocated had been crushed. As Adrien he'd made it clear that he didn't feel that way. He'd tried to be gentle in his rebuff but regardless of that, it still meant that he didn't love her the way she loved him.

Pursing his lips in a firm line, Chat Noir dipped his head and burrowed his face against the side of Marinette's head. She deserved someone wonderful, someone who was as vibrant and amazing as she was. But for now, perhaps he could ease her pain as his alter ego.

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**Adrien finally got to give his comforting hug to Marinette, even if he was in the guise of Chat Noir. Next chapter, Marinette's thoughts on the matter.**

**Thanks for reading and please feel free to drop a note in the review box too ;)**


	6. Unexpected Support

_Chapter Six – Unexpected Support_

The smooth black leather of Chat Noir's costume was pressed firmly against Marinette's cheek as he held her in his tight embrace. She'd been hugged by both her parents and by Alya when she'd told them of the cause of her sudden bought of sorrow. Yet there was something intrinsically soothing in being within her partner's arms. As Ladybug she would push him away, certain that his actions held ulterior motives. But as Marinette, it was clear he was only offering support and comfort. Her petite frame relaxed against his larger one. Her eyes closed as she nuzzled into the strength that was Chat Noir.

There was no questioning as to why she was upset. Chat Noir simply held her as she cried. One gloved hand was gently caressing the back of her head while the other cinched at her waist. Then to her complete surprise he began to purr. The action had her arching an eyebrow and lifting her head to look at him.

Tenderness shone from those feline eyes and she realised he was trying to soothe her. Relieved that he wasn't secretly pleased with her misery, Marinette buried her face in the crook of his shoulder.

As her tears dried up, Marinette lifted her fingers to toy with his bell while feeling unsure to what she should say to him. When it came down to it, Chat Noir knew very little of her. Sure, they'd had a few adventures together but other those brief moments of insight she was merely an acquaintance. Yet he was treating her as if she were a friend or at least someone he cared for.

Marinette knew that Chat Noir didn't harbour any sort of crush on her, as his affection was solely aimed at Ladybug. The thought made her wince. Is this how devastated he felt each time she skated over his feelings?

Damn, she really didn't want to think about that now. She felt awful enough. Instead Marinette continued to fiddle with his bell, tracing the gap at it's base absently. Yet she couldn't stop herself from asking, "How do you deal with it?"

"With what?" Chat Noir asked.

"With being rejected by the person you… love."

The Parisian hero was quiet for a while, as if gathering his thoughts. "It's difficult but I tend to cling to positivity like a lifeline."

A sad smile settled on her lips. That was certainly true. Chat Noir was nothing if impossibly positive. It was like he was the living embodiment of 'a glass half full' type of guy, while she was often troubled by self-doubt while overanalysing things she considered important. Heck, it was Chat Noir who'd boosted her confidence as Ladybug and allowed her to function as though she were a powerhouse of superhero goodness.

Thinking about it made her realise that Ladybug didn't give him the credit he deserved, at least verbally. It was something she needed to amend. But now wasn't the time to raise that topic. Chat Noir had no clue he was holding an unmasked Ladybug in his arms.

Instead she returned to the topic at hand. "I'm not sure if I can be positive."

"Maybe not right away but you're strong Marinette. I know you're a fighter. You'll pull through this funk and when you come away you'll be even stronger."

At his declaration, Marinette felt a swell of pride at his description of her. Chat Noir always saw the best in her, now she just needed to believe his claim for herself.

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**Nothing like the support of a good friend to pull you through a hard time ;) As always, thanks for reading.**

**Now then, I had a question from a guest reviewer, nycbaby, asking if I had any tips on writing/publishing fan fics. I hope this helps you and anyone else interested (listed in no particular order)... **

**Make sure your first paragraph is interesting enough to hook the reader. This also goes for your story blurb, you need to intrigue people enough to click and read your story. As for the writing itself, try and paint a picture with words - it's challenging but worth it. Don't publish a first draft. Coming back a day later to re-read and edit can make a world of difference. Plan where your story is going, know the ending you're out to achieve from the beginning so you can build tension and interest. ****Avoid cliches where possible, although in general dialogue you can get away with it. Write about what interests you, you can chose to accept other people's ideas but stay true to what you want. Lastly, don't be afraid of criticism, it's there to help you improve. **

**Also, if you create an account on this website you can private message other writers/readers for support and/or get beta readers to revise your stories, giving you the opportunity to receive tips and polish up your writing before publishing. I hope this helps. :)**


	7. Strong Enough

_Chapter Seven – Strong Enough_

Over the following weeks, Marinette put on a brave face and silently chanted her own mantra in her head. _'She could do this. She could go on without Adrien as the highlight of her day. She was more than her crush.'_Such thoughts were on continuous loop in her mind. All the girls in her class had been aware of Marinette's crush and were amazingly supportive, well most of them. Chloe and Lila continued to taunt her when the opportunity arose but her lack of biting back had quickly quelled their interest.

Adrien himself persisted in being sweet and understanding. Giving her room to breathe when he thought she needed it, while being there for her when he assumed she wanted him. At times Marinette wished he wasn't so nice. It was his kindness that had drawn her to him in the first place.

But the most surprising element during this period was the fact that Chat Noir became a regular visitor to her home. Most Friday evenings he would stop by to see how she was doing and they'd take some time to talk. At first it was meetings on her balcony as she went through the motions of watering her plants.

The initial encounter had been something of a shock. Marinette had been contemplating the possibility of a designing some personalised jewellery at Rose's request when the black cat of Paris had graced her balcony. She had been so stunned by his unexpected arrival that she'd watered her own feet by accident.

"Hoping to grow taller?" Chat Noir had teased as he flopped back in her foldout chair.

"Are you saying I'm short?" Marinette snapped half-heartedly as she put down her watering can and placed her hands on her hips.

Chat Noir folded his arms beneath his head while his eyes appraised her stature. "Hmm, you're taller than when we first met but only just."

"Only just? I've grown at least another 5cm thank you very much."

"True, your head at least tops at my armpits now."

At that Marinette stomped her foot, particularly when she saw the teasing smirk on his face. "I'm only half a head shorter than you."

"In high heels maybe."

"Gah, you're impossible."

"Impossibly good looking, why yes I am."

Marinette couldn't help but snort. Chat Noir had never lacked for self-assurance. "Arrogant be thy name."

"Hmm, no. But it might start with an 'A'. Not that I can either confirm or deny that." Those masked green eyes twinkled with mischief and she found herself wondering if he had dropped a hint at his actual name.

"Ladybug would kick your ass if she were here."

Chat Noir crossed his ankles, clearly settling in. "Then aren't I lucky that she's not."

If only he knew.

And from there the banter between them had continued over the weeks. The two of them bonded over their teasing which eventually shifted to becoming movie nights when the pair discovered that they both enjoyed the Asterix and Obelix films. It became something of a habit where they would pick one of the many movies on offer and sit down to watch it together of a Friday night. Of course, that being as long as there were no akuma attacks or any existing plans with friends or family. It was surprising how Chat Noir was so comfortable with her.

Yet what was even more surprising was the fact that Marinette found his company more agreeable than she ever would have contemplated in the past. There was something about Chat Noir that made her feel at ease, that she could be herself and he wouldn't judge her. When it came down to it, she was content to just be with him, even if he was an adorable dork.

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**And we've got the slow build-up happening. Next chapter, the beginnings of attraction ;)**

**Thanks for reading :)**


	8. Shifting Perceptions

_Chapter Eight – Shifting Perceptions_

Chat Noir couldn't pinpoint the moment it happened but somehow Marinette became his best friend. While in his superhero guise he was able to speak his mind and share certain details of his private life that he wasn't able to do otherwise. Honestly, he couldn't pour his heart out to Nino as Adrien. That just wasn't something guys did. Chloe would have assumed it was some kind of sign that Adrien fancied her. While Ladybug would have shut Chat Noir down regardless of how insignificant the detail was, simply because it was from his private life.

Of course, Chat Noir was careful to leave out any telling fact that would lead Marinette to believing he could possibly be Adrien Agreste. He merely toed the line of obscurity and specifics. Marinette understood his need for secrecy and didn't push him, she merely listened and gave advice. It was the kind of support he'd been longing for since the disappearance of his mother from his life.

Again, he couldn't go into details of that. He simply stated that his mother was no longer in his life and his father was an overbearing control freak. It wasn't like his situation was isolated. There were other adolescents out there suffering the same woes. Though it was unlikely that their sole remaining parent was a fashion icon who paraded his son around as a clothes horse on a regular basis. It was a particular detail Chat Noir steered clear from.

The atmosphere between him and Marinette was one of camaraderie. Which was exceedingly pleasant since things remained somewhat tense with her when he was out of the mask. He supposed it was only natural that Marinette would struggle when she saw him as Adrien. All he could do was hope that time would heal that wound.

For now, they were cosied up on her chaise, watching Asterix and Obelix: God Save Britannia while sharing a bowl of popcorn. Chat Noir hadn't really given any thought to the fact that they were reclining together, Marinette half splayed across him as she shovelled another handful of popcorn into her mouth. He liked the way she had one leg draped over his knee and her head on his shoulder. Human contact was something he always craved, regardless of the guise.

Sabine and Tom were fully aware of his regular visits. Tom had been apprehensive at first but since Chat Noir was cheering up his little girl and no funny business was going on the goliath of a man was okay with the arrangement. Yet it was Sabine that perplexed Chat Noir. Amusement always seemed to linger in her eyes as if she knew something neither he or Marinette did.

Mentally shaking himself, Chat Noir returned his focus to the movie. As he was reaching for more popcorn, Marinette shifted against him while seeking a more comfortable position. In doing so, her nose brushed the hair covering his left ear and as she exhaled it stirred a primal response he wasn't expecting.

Having never really dated, even at 17, Chat Noir had little clue as to what things might turn him on. Apparently having a girl blowing gently in his ear was something he liked, very much. His pulse was hammering with excitement while other unsettling sensations were making themselves know south of his belt. Chat quickly adjust his hold on the bowl of popcorn to cover any signs of his awoken libido.

Damn this was awkward. Marinette was just a friend and this type of reaction was only meant to happen around Ladybug. Well, in private. Not while they were in public fighting akumas. That would be mortifying.

With an unsteady hand, Chat Noir resumed his prior motion in feeding himself more popcorn. However, his attention was no longer focussed on the movie but on the worrying way his body was responding to his friend. Perhaps if he ignored it, it would go away. It was only a physical reaction to unexpected stimulus, wasn't it?

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**Gotta love denial at the small stuff XD **

**I apologise for my sporadic posting. I've been sucked into Dragon Age: Inquisition and I swear it eats time - the romancing element is so much fun ;)**

**As always thanks for reading and I'll try to pull myself away from the PS4 in my spare time and do some more writing. **


	9. Below the Surface

_Chapter Nine – Below the Surface_

Lazing with Chat Noir while watching a movie gave Marinette a deep sense of contentment. Honestly, he was like a living cat pillow although not nearly as soft. It was why she found herself adjusting her position against him while hoping to avoid an elbow to the ribs. She probably needed to use an actual cushion yet she preferred laying her head upon her akuma fighting partner's shoulder.

Blue eyes were beginning to hood with heavy lids. The usual anxiety Marinette carried with her on a daily basis, coiled tight in her chest, had loosened and with it came the lull of sleepiness. The hand she'd been using to reach for more popcorn dropped slowly to rest on Chat Noir's belly. Her fingertips absently trailed along the muscular abdominal contour above his navel as she tried to stay awake.

A black gloved hand clamped over hers, stilling the movement of her fingers and startling Marinette enough to shake her drowsy state. Heat flared in her cheeks as she realised how she'd been touching Chat Noir. She didn't dare look at him, instead she dug her teeth in her bottom lip as she considered what to say. "Sorry," she croaked in embarrassment.

"It's okay, you fidget when you're tired." Was there a distinct note of strain in Chat Noir's voice or was she imagining it? He let out a chuckle that sounded a little forced. "You were just rubbing the same spot a little too much."

Marinette felt as though she should offer some sort of retort but all that came to mind was, "Oh." From there the pair remained quiet as they watched the remainder of the movie, with the exception of laughing at the comedic antics of the film. Yet the feeling of ease had dissipated. There was a tension in the air which the girl couldn't fathom how to remedy. Had she crossed a line in physical contact which Chat Noir took offense to? She hadn't meant to make him feel uncomfortable. Even now she could feel how tense he was as she lay against him.

This need to fix whatever she had done wrong continued to plague Marinette even as the movie came to an end. Chat Noir's frame remained rigid as the credits rolled. His gloved hand holding the popcorn bowl was so taunt the tips of his claws had finely scraped the surface of the plastic. Was something more going on with Chat Noir? Perhaps something else had triggered this strange response.

Feeling the need to confront the situation, Marinette shifted her position on the chaise in attempt to view his face and look him in the eye. As she moved, Chat Noir's whole body stiffened more. Confounded, Marinette paused and let out a heavy sigh which rustled his hair. This in turn made Chat Noir shudder. Dawning had her sitting back. He was uncomfortable with her being so close to him. Yet it never seemed to worry him before. If anything, he had welcomed her nearness.

With brow furrowed, she asked, "Are you okay, Chat? Have I been too much in your space?"

The superhero's feline eyes seemed overly bright and his Adam's apple bobbed. "I'm fine. Everything is fine. Situation normal. How are you?"

Marinette's eyes narrowed. "You're acting weird."

Chat Noir quickly dropped his legs to the opposite side of the chaise and glanced over his shoulder. "I'm just overtired." He made a show of stretching his arms and spine. "I should go home."

And before Marinette could make any further comment, Chat Noir raced like a black streak up her loft bed ladder and to the skylight.

"Are you sure everything is alright?" She called as she climbed up behind him.

"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?" Clawed hands were furiously working her skylight window latch open. "I'll see you next week?"

Was there a touch of pleading to his voice? And if so, why? "Um, yeah. I don't have any other plans."

"Good, I'll see you then." With that, Chat Noir scurried out her skylight as if his she'd brandished a squirt bottle aimed his way.

Still utterly bewildered by his odd behaviour, one final scenario entered Marinette's head. Raising her hand to cup over her mouth she exhaled hard then sniffed at her own breath and winced. "Ugh, maybe that was the problem. Note to self, eat less garlic prior to movie night."

* * *

**FYI... I totally borrowed Han Solo's line there, well at least a version of it as it might not be exactly what he said when trying to placate the Empire while helping Luke break out Princess Leia from the detention block on the Death Star.**

**Now then, my posting may be a bit more erratic. We have lots of bush fires locally and combine that with end of year Christmas chaos and I have limited time to write. Also please direct lost rain clouds down under, we bloody need them. **

**Thanks for reading! :)**


	10. Testing a Theory

_Chapter 10 – Testing a Theory_

Adrien's mind was as torrid as washing machine on high spin. Not that he'd ever washed his own clothes but he'd seen laundromats on TV and so had an idea of how they worked. Heck, he'd wondered if Plagg might have accidently ventured into such territory within the mansion while in pursuit of smelly socks. There had been one such incident where the tiny cat kwami had floated into his room sopping wet and merely grumbled, "Don't you dare ask!" It had taken everything the model had to bite his tongue and not laugh as fat drops of water had dripped from Plagg's whiskers. But that had been months ago.

However, the model needed to focus on the now. Chloe was coming over for a visit. Audrey had muscled her way into a last-minute appointment with his father and of course the socialite's daughter had tagged along. Normally Adrien would be fine with a visit from Chloe, even though her constant invasion into his personal space was disconcerting, she was his friend after all. He just wished she wasn't so familiar with him. The amount of times people assumed they were a couple when out in public was downright embarrassing. Although, once they looked him in the eye their knowing gazes turned sympathetic when they realised he wasn't reciprocating such over-the-top displays of affection.

Adrien knew the moment Chloe stepped foot into the mansion. Her nasal tones of excitement were hardly quiet, especially in a place with such high ceilings at the entry, meaning the harmonics echoed sounds through the rest of the building. The model took the opportunity to save his assignment on his computer before preparing himself for the inevitable hug he was about to receive.

Rising from his chair, Adrien quickly tucked it under the desk and strode to the middle of the room since he was unsure which door Chloe would emerge from. It also meant he wasn't close to his bed. While the blonde was often dense when it came to recognising when the opposite sex was lusting after him, he was fully aware of how an overly zealous fangirl acted. And Chloe fell into that category so far it was practically a chasm, not that he'd ever tell her.

With his hands clasped behind his back, in a pre-empt to retain his upright status, Adrien awaited the almost physical assault which was Chloe's greeting. Sure enough, the girl came striding through the doorway closest to his desk, charging forward like a determined warhorse. Her arms flew wide as her blonde ponytail bounced with her every step. There was no real slowing of pace as she ploughed into him, mashing her chest against his as if being winded were some sort of turn on.

Bracing himself with a rearward step, Adrien caught hold of his friend. Now was the dance of balance which occurred regularly when greeted by Chloe. The girl was a mix of octopus and boa constrictor, wrapping around him and clinging on as if her existence depended on merging with his very being. Her face was buried against his throat, her talon-like fingernails hooked into the material of his shirt as she attempted to fuse herself onto him. "Adrikins!"

The need to escape this unwanted embrace was strong and Adrien removed her curled fingers with practised expertise. Chloe lifted her head and sighed against his jaw. In response, the model froze when he recalled the strange moment he had with Marinette as Chat Noir. With the utmost caution, Adrien continued to hold Chloe's wrists away from his torso while he strategically brushed he cheek against hers in a featherlight stroke. On purpose he lowered the tenor of his voice, giving it a roughened edge as he uttered "Chloe" in sensuous greeting.

A gasp of delight pushed from his friend's painted lips, the warmth of her breath tunnelling into his ear. The model's response was immediate, the need to shy away from the contact was a reflex. Adrien's very being recoiled and he gave his head a quick shake to rid himself of the feeling. Green eyes widened as he edged from Chloe's proximity but he let his modelling mask for photoshoots fall into place as he met the girl's gaze.

Chloe took this as a sign to start chattering away, bitching about anything and everything. But Adrien wasn't listening. His mind was too busy analysing what had just transpired and wondered why his response to the same act had been so radically different with Marinette. What did it mean?

* * *

**Yep, sunshine boy is not the best at putting together puzzle pieces. Lucky (or unluckily?) his parter is just as dimwitted when it comes to these things. Ah, dumb love XD**

**They'll figure it out eventually. What would you like to see happen next? Will Chat Noir test out this same scenario but reversing the roles with Ladybug? Who knows, I haven't written the next chapter. **

**As always, thanks for reading :)**


	11. Gleaning Fragments

_Chapter 11 – Gleaning Fragments_

The low-level hum of creative chatter within the art room was always a welcomed sound to Marinette. It was the last class of the afternoon and one she always relished. The class itself was small, comprised of only a few of her regular classmates. Alix was busy with her mural. Rose and Juleka were painting flowers on the front of an old acoustic guitar in tandem. But it was Nathanial and Marc's giggles that had the would-be designer turning her head.

"What trouble are you two concocting?" she asked with a lopsided smirk.

The boys glanced at each other and grinned. "Nothing really," Nathaniel stated as he adjusted his grip on his pencil.

"Come on, I can tell you're up to something."

Marc shook his head. "Honestly, we're not. We were just discussing…"

Again the pair looked to each other, their eyes shining with a shared question before they both shrugged. Nathaniel gave her an appraising look. "Adrien asked us something at lunch today that was, well, endearing."

Marinette's delicate eyebrows lowered in confusion. "Uh, okay." Clearly, they were unsure if it was alright to talk about Adrien in front of her. "What did he say?"

A faint blush touched Marc's cheeks as he tugged the strings on his hoodie. "He was asking about an unexpected reaction he had to a close female friend of his."

"Oh," Marinette uttered as she tried to ignore the tightening of her throat.

Nathaniel smirked at Marc, missing the strain in Marinette's expression. "Apparently she blew in his ear by accident and he found it very appealing. Then he couldn't understand why his reaction was the complete opposite when Chloe did the same thing."

A snort escaped Marinette. The idea of Chloe being close enough to breath on anyone was enough to make a person cringe.

"My thoughts exactly," Marc nodded.

"So, um, who was this friend?"

"He wouldn't say."

Marinette stared at Marc, the wheels turning in her head as she deduced that it had to be Kagami. There was no one else that came even close as a possible second guess. Her chances of ever being with Adrien had always been remote, only now did she see how obvious that was.

"What did you tell him?"

Marc looked to his book but Nathaniel met her gaze. "That his reaction to the first girl is a fair indicator that he's attracted to her. The guy practically blushed to the roots of his hair and began denying the possibility with far too much conviction."

"It was adorable," Marc mumbled at the page before him.

Marinette didn't know how to feel. If anything, it cemented the truth that Adrien had never seen her in a romantic light even further. She just wished her eyes had been opened before she'd fallen so hard for the model. Pushing away the echoing hurt, she smiled back at her friends. "He really is oblivious."

"Totally," Nathaniel smirked with a shake of his head. "At times he's the living embodiment of a dumb blonde."

Marc reached forward to place his hand over hers. "You deserve someone who sees just how wonderful you are, Marinette. Never doubt yourself. You are an amazing person and one day you'll be swept off your feet by someone who really appreciates and reciprocates your feelings."

At his kind words, Marinette felt tears prick at her eyes but forced them away as she smiled warmly at Marc. "You really are a marvel when it comes to spinning a line."

"It's the truth and that's why it comes so easily. Your Prince Charming is out there somewhere and when he finds you, I bet he never lets you go."

The idea was a pleasant one. Yet the image of Chat Noir flashed into her mind at the concept. Inwardly she smiled at the absurdity. Was it really a surprise? Chat Noir had been trying to woo her as Ladybug for years. He was also her closest male friend as Marinette. Her mind was merely overlapping the two versions of Chat in her experience: the one who wanted to be her sweetheart and the one who wanted to be her friend. Never would the two become one because Chat Noir could never know Ladybug's true identity.

For the first time, Marinette found herself strangely disappointed by that fact.

* * *

**And look, two chapters within days! And this one wasn't where I initially envisioned, but I thought it a cute exchange. **

**As always thanks for your support and please feed the review box, it's always hungry. Cheers :)**


	12. Thinking Too Much

_Chapter 12 – Thinking Too Much_

_They couldn't be right, could they? _The thought continued to tumble around Chat Noir's head as he sat high on the Eiffel Tower considering the advice Nathaniel and Marc had given him earlier in the day as Adrien. Marinette was his friend and only his friend. He couldn't be attracted to her, could he?

Fisting his wild locks below his feline ear with one gloved hand, Chat Noir was torn. He wanted to rip the very idea of attraction to Marinette from his head. He was in love with Ladybug. Yet that thought in itself brought a touch of guilt as his conscience reminded him of his continued crush on Kagami. But he'd always justified that predicament with his initial assumption that she could have been Ladybug. It was a flimsy excuse but one he'd vindicated his thoughts upon. Plus, he had no real intention of doing anything about that crush either.

Letting out a sigh which had his whole frame sagging, Chat wished that Ladybug would just change her mind and accept him. It would untangle his currently confused and jumbled thoughts. Part of him wondered if he was clawing at the hope of romantic love in any form, where both crushes were substitutes to what he really wanted. Yet he'd be lying to himself if he ignored how well he connected with Marinette. But she was meant to be just a friend. He'd confirmed that status as Adrien when he'd rejected her confession of love.

The muscles in his jaw tensed as his molars ground hard. Agitation had his belted tail whipping against the metal beam on which he sat. Being so caught up in his thoughts, Chat Noir missed the flicker of scarlet movement on his left. Instead his gaze remained fixed on the city lights below, his mind far away.

"You're looking awfully serious, kitty."

Chat Noir's head snapped up and his brows knitted beneath his black mask. "Was I? Sorry, I wasn't expecting company."

Ladybug swooped down to sit in one graceful move, lacing her fingers on her lap as she observed him. "Is something wrong?"

Green eyes drank in the beautiful features of Ladybug's face. As always, his gaze got stuck on her thoughtful blue eyes. Her emotions were so often painted right there for him to see, now being no exception as he took in her concern. Damn he wished she would reach out and touch him, taking his hand in hers. He supposed that was one of the reasons why he was drawn to Marinette. She didn't hesitate in touching him.

Reaching up, he gently ran one of her pigtail ribbons between his thumb and forefinger. "I'm confused about something in my private life. I'm not sure what to do or if I should do anything at all."

Ladybug studied him for a moment, leaving him to toy with her ribbon. "Without context I can't really help you but I'm sure you'll do the right thing, Chat. You always do."

A choked laugh of disdain almost left his lips. Nothing he ever did when it came to romance went right. Heck, he'd tried to woo Ladybug countless times in what he'd considered tender expressions of his feelings only to be shut down time and time again. He wanted to ask if she'd ever learn to love him, instead Chat Noir uttered, "I'm not very good at love."

Blue eyes darted to his with the sharpness of a dagger but then something softened in them as she continued to look at him. "Nor am I."

Chat Noir released his hold on her ribbon, dropping his hand to cradle the side of Ladybug's face. "We could learn together."

Ladybug's stare became unreadable. Her gloved hand lifted, her fingers interlocked through his and gently tugged his hand away from her face. "That's not wise, Chat. You know my feelings on this."

Bitter disappointment curdled in his belly. Yet Chat Noir couldn't help but notice that Ladybug still held his hand.

* * *

**Lookie, another chapter up quick. Not sure if I'll keep up this pace but wanted to share this one. **

**Thanks for reading and for the reviews! :)**


	13. Contradicting Signals

_Chapter 13 – Contradicting Signals_

Silence had fallen between the superhero duo. But it wasn't uncomfortable. Both peered out at the dark horizon, lost in their own inner musings. While the grip was loose, Ladybug's gloved fingers were still intertwined with Chat Noir's. She felt that he needed a sense of comfort and if she were honest with herself, she didn't want to let go. Perhaps it was selfish but there was something fundamentally right in holding his hand. Sometimes Chat Noir seemed to be a very extension of herself. No, that wasn't right. He was his own person yet he somehow made her feel complete.

All her insecurities were brushed aside when she was with her partner. Those times when she doubted herself he was there to raise her back up again. Ladybug hadn't been lying when she said he always did the right things. Just sometimes he did it in the most awkward way. Plus, there were the times when he got distracted in showing off. An amused smile tugged at her lips. Chat Noir was often a goofball but she couldn't fault him for it. Cheekiness was part of his unique charm. It was just frustrating when he decided to focus on impressing her rather than on the job at hand. But there were no akumas tonight.

Being so high up on the Eiffel Tower meant the temperature was colder than at its base. The breeze was picking up speed and the earlier warmth of the evening was gone. Ladybug turned her head in preparation to speak to Chat Noir but found him already looking at her. Those feline eyes barely blinked and the expression on his face was serious. The grip of his hand tightened against hers and he leaned towards her with an intent she couldn't deny.

Panic had her shying away. They could not kiss. Ladybug and Chat Noir could not become involved, even if her conviction on that theory was starting to flake around the edges.

Chat Noir's features fell as he tilted away his head with dejection. His voice was a croaked plea. "I thought…" he started as he raised their joined hands as evidence, "…that maybe you changed your mind."

As much as it pained her, Ladybug withdrew her hand from his. Immediately missing the warmth of his touch. "I'm sorry, Chat. I was just offering comfort."

His Adam's apple bobbed as he stared after her departed hand. "Oh."

While he said little, his body language spoke volumes. Chat Noir's now free hands curled into loose fists which he settled on his knees. He sat straight yet his shoulders were slumped forward and his chin had dropped to almost touch the bell below. Feline ears were twisted away from his face in distress while his tail hung limply by his right leg.

"Chat," she called softly but he wouldn't look at her. Ladybug called his name again, catching his chin with her fingers and gently easing his head her way. "I'm sorry."

A deep furrow settled between Chat Noir's masked eyebrows. "I know. I shouldn't have pushed." His voice dropped to a whisper Ladybug suspected she wasn't meant to hear. "Shouldn't have hoped."

The misery in his tone had her dragging him into her arms for a comforting hug. For a moment he didn't hug her in return but then seemed to surrender. His frame relaxed and his arms encircled her in return. Chat's cheek was pressed to hers and she felt the tip of his nose trail along the shell of her ear. A tendril of her hair tickled her ear as he exhaled and she instinctively shoved him away with a giggle.

With hands raised and the side of her head tucked against her shoulder, Ladybug was about to tease Chat Noir about tickling but her partner had shot to his feet. His top teeth were pressed deeply into his bottom lip as he studied her with a look that spoke of agony. "I've got to go." He uttered in a rush as he extended his baton and disappeared into the night.

* * *

**How to rip out a boy's heart without even realising it. Poor Chat. **

**More on his feelings next chapter and how he perceived Ladybug's reaction. Stay tuned! :)**


	14. Tainted Perceptions

_Chapter 14 – Tainted Perceptions_

Chat Noir had to flee. The pain radiating in his chest was too hard to conceal. The tears threatening to fall were burning too hard to be driven back. Ladybug had flinched away from him. The way he had from Chloe. He'd needed an answer, a final confirmation that nothing romantic existed between him and his partner. And the result was killing him inside. Ladybug felt nothing for him in regards to attraction. Nothing at all. She'd even giggled at the silliness of it all.

But it was the shove to his chest, pushing him away with both hands that had been the most crushing. Didn't she feel how fast his heart had been beating? That it cracked at her rejection? When Ladybug had held his hand for almost an hour Chat Noir had hoped it was a sign of change. Normally she would have pulled away from him the moment her touch was no longer necessary. She'd told him it was only an offer of comfort, but she'd never held his hand for so long before. Hope has blossomed within him, only to wither just as quickly.

Ladybug had seemed stunned by his retreat, as if she wanted to say something but he couldn't stick around to listen. He didn't want to hear the excuses as to why she could never seem him in that way. Chat Noir faltered in his run. His strides steadying to a trot across someone's rooftop as he stared at the night sky for answers. Why did he have to fall in love with someone who could never love him in return? Why did he have to feel such conflict of feelings towards Marinette?

Swallowing back his tears, Chat Noir paused to look at the moon. Why was love so hard and unobtainable for him? Was it a family curse? His father had become cold and unfeeling at the loss of his wife, of the love of his life whom was no longer there. Would the son emulate the father? Was he doomed to only suffer heartache? Chat Noir cringed at the thought.

He didn't want to go home. There was no comfort there. He didn't want to go back to Ladybug as only pain resided in her company right now. Chat Noir needed solace but was lost as to where he could find it. Plagg would offer little comfort. His solution to everything was cheese. He could hardly turn up on any of his friends' doorsteps without explaining what was going on. Or could he? Again, his mind wandered to Marinette but Chat Noir shook his head hard. No. He could not go there. Not with such conflicted emotions.

But as he started moving his feet had other ideas. As much as he tried to avoid the Dupain-Cheng bakery, Chat Noir's body kept correcting his course apparently overruling his brain. His booted feet landed on her balcony some twenty minutes later but the light wasn't on in her bedroom. Slumping into the foldout chair on her balcony, the hero of Paris curled into himself, holding his knees as he quietly wept.

In that moment he hated himself. Hated how he was so blindly optimistic that he could one day win Ladybug's heart. Hated how much her constant rejections hurt. Hated that he was stupid enough to keep hoping for something that would never be. Chat Noir never let himself feel the true depth of his emotional pain when rejected by Ladybug. He always pushed it deep down and continued on. But this time he let the agony and anguish wash over him. Masked eyes scrunched closed as he sobbed harder, his jaw clenching with each wretched gasp.

Cat ears tracked the faint sound of the skylight window being opened but Chat Noir was too caught up in his own misery to take any notice.

"Oh my God, Chat, what's wrong?"

Words were to much. Instead Chat merely looked over to Marinette's concerned face and cried harder. Sucking in breaths that were too quick, he tried to speak. "Ladybug…will never…love…me."

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**And Marinette gets to finally see how much sway Ladybug has over Chat Noir's feelings. A bit more angst next chapter and then let's move onto the fluffier stuff. **

**Thanks for reading :)**


	15. More Than Empathy

_Chapter 15 – More Than Empathy_

Marinette didn't know what to do. Never in her entire partnership with Chat Noir had she ever seen him this upset in either of her personas. The guy wasn't just crying, he had the full body lurching with each sob action happening. But she didn't understand. What had she said or done as Ladybug to cause such a terrible response in her partner?

Under other circumstances she would have consoled him with the possibility that he was wrong and there could be a solution. But she couldn't seed his emotions with a hope that was potentially untrue. Ladybug did love him but only as a friend, perhaps even like family but not as a sweetheart. Not in the way he wanted. Although a niggling thought at the back of her brain insisted maybe she was in a touch of denial. With Adrien out of the picture she'd started to notice just how handsome Chat Noir was, even if she was trying to ignore it.

Marinette raised her hand to touch him, unsure how to offer comfort when he was so upset. A hand to the shoulder? Stroking his hair? Those feline eyes must have noticed her hesitation, a gloved hand reached out to grab her wrist, pulling her close as he enveloped her in his arms. She immediately held him in return, smoothing her hand in slow circles against his back with one hand while combing her fingers through his hair with the other.

The whole time Chat Noir held onto her as if his life depended on it. His arms were locked fiercely around her as he gradually calmed. Marinette remembered how he'd purred for her when she'd been upset and so she hummed for him. The tune was one her parents had sung to her when she was little, a soothing melody meant to relax the listener.

Chat's head lifted from her shoulder from where his face has been nestled. "Are you trying to put me to sleep?"

The faint humour in his tone was reassuring. "If it makes you feel better."

He sniffed. "It's helping but I doubt I'll sleep tonight."

Marinette adjusted her legs beneath her, both her knees were sore from sitting on the hard floor for so long. "Why were you so upset?"

Closing his eyes, Chat Noir exhaled a long slow breath. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"But Ladybug did something to cause this?" She needed to know, she was honestly baffled.

"I read things wrong. Thought I had a chance, tried to kiss her and when I got shoved away I realised she will never love me. I've been so stupid to hope." He snorted at his own ineptitude.

Marinette considered his words, at how similar his situation was to hers with Adrien. As Ladybug she'd always assumed Chat Noir's flirting was simply part of his character. A trait so ingrained that she never took him seriously. On a number of occasions, he'd claimed to be in love with her and she'd thought it a passing fancy. Only now when she witnessed the depth of his distress did she realise how deeply Chat Noir cared for Ladybug.

Regret began gnawing at her insides. She was the reason for his emotional pain. Perhaps she should have been more upfront with him in the beginning of their partnership as Ladybug, instructing him to stop the flirting. But no one could truly influence another person's infatuation. Had someone told her to stop pouring over images of Adrien while enamoured she would have ignored them.

Marinette understood his heartbreak all too well. "Do you want to come inside for some hot chocolate?"

A weak smile tugged at his lips. "That sounds wonderful, princess."

* * *

**Figured I couldn't leave you hanging too long with a sad chapter (probably helps that I wrote another three) - short word counts make all the difference XD**

**Thanks for reading :)**


	16. Words of Wisdom

_Chapter 16 – Words of Wisdom_

Chat Noir would always be envious of the Dupain-Cheng family. They welcomed him into their home openly. Sabine had wrapped a blanket around his shoulders when Marinette told her he was deeply upset. Tom made the hot chocolate and provided an assortment of yummy treats to eat as they sat in the family room together. It was what a home was meant to be, warm and loving. Adrien Agreste would have traded his entire trust fund for this feeling of belonging in a heartbeat.

Instead the blonde boy soaked up the atmosphere and some of the tension left his body. The lingering pain in his chest was still there, searing beneath his ribcage, but he didn't want to cry anymore. The four of them chatted for a while. Eventually Tom had left, needing to get to bed early as bakers always did. Marinette had gone to have a shower which left Chat Noir sitting with Sabine.

The empty space left in his heart by his mother's disappearance would never be filled but having a maternal figure to speak to helped narrow that void. Somehow Sabine was able to extract what was bothering him with her gentle words. Chat Noir explained himself, of how much in love he had been with Ladybug and of how desolate he felt now.

"I understand how much it hurts," Sabine stated. "Everyone has their heart broken during their lifetime. It's part of growing as a person. You may believe you'll never feel as deeply about another person as with Ladybug but life has a funny way of working out when you least expect it. You're not alone, Chat Noir, but only you understand how you feel. If the person you love doesn't love you back you need to move on. You cannot change how another person feels about you, no matter what you do. Find someone worthy of your love, someone who cares about you equally. Only then will you truly find happiness."

The wisdom in Sabine's words continued to roll around his head as he sat contemplating. For four years he'd hoped to win over his lady's heart. The romantic in him had been willing to wait, believing that time was all he needed. He shuffled up the stairs to Marinette's room, holding the sleeping bag and pillow within his arms which Sabine had given him. They were allowing him to stay the night, in Marinette's room of all places. It was nice to be trusted.

A smile touched Chat Noir's lips as he spotted the air mattress on the floor, something Tom must have set up on his way to bed. Tossing down the pillow, Chat unfurled the sleeping bag and knelt down to unzip it. Settling in, Sabine turned out the lights and wished both him and Marinette sweet dreams.

Lying on his back, Chat attempted to get comfortable. But as he reached behind his head to adjust his pillow the claw on his thumb pricked the air mattress beneath him. "Dammit," he hissed in the dark.

"Something wrong?" Marinette asked from her loft bed.

"I just punctured the mattress with a claw. I promise I'll pay your parents back."

An amused snort sounded from Marinette. "I wouldn't worry about it. That thing is older than I am."

Chat Noir sighed as the air seeped out of the mattress and his butt touched the hard floor below. "Maybe I should go home." Then he could at least drop his transformation and sleep without his shoes on.

"You can sleep with me." Marinette's suggestion had his pulse increasing. Feline eyes and ears were suddenly honed in on her loft bed. She spluttered as she realised what she said. "As in sleeping, next to me, not with me. You know what I mean!"

A chuckle escaped him. "It's okay, Marinette, I know you didn't mean it that way."

Crawling out of the sleeping bag, Chat carried his pillow under his arm and joined Marinette on her bed. She'd made room for him to sleep on her left and he dropped down beside her. With a smirk he looked at her. "I'm trusting that you'll keep your hands to yourself. Being that I'm so handsome and all."

He wasn't surprised when she whacked him with her pillow in response, in turn giving him the good laugh he'd been needing all night.

* * *

**Sabine and Tom are awfully trusting, aren't they XD **

**Until next chapter - thanks for reading!**


	17. Snuggles and Surprises

_My Valentine's Day gift to you, dear reader ;)_

* * *

_Chapter 17 – Snuggles and Surprises_

At around 2am every morning Marinette would wake up cold, having realised she'd kicked off her blankets some time during the night. If she was lucky, Tikki would float up and drag them back up from her ankles and over her chilled body. But as blue eyes blinked open in the darkness, Marinette realised she wasn't cold. Heat was practically radiating against her back and a warm hand was resting on her hip.

Alarm had her entire frame stiffening while her brain caught up on recent events. Marinette relaxed a little as she remembered who it was lying behind her. Chat Noir. But she tensed again at the warmth of his thumb gently caressing the sliver of exposed skin between her pyjama top and shorts.

Slowly she reached for his wrist to extract his hand from her body. But as she did so, Chat Noir nuzzled his face against the back of her neck and slid his hand across her belly to her opposite hip, tucking her back firmly against his body. As he held her, Marinette realised something was very different. There was no cool touch of leather against her skin. Chat Noir's arm was not coated in his miraculous suit.

On impulse she reached beneath the sheet for his thigh, finding it covered in a fabric that felt like denim. Chat Noir had dropped his transformation and was fast asleep behind her. She could not roll over. She could not chance seeing his face without the mask on. The best option would be to wriggle out of his hold and sleep on the chaise downstairs.

With this in mind, Marinette began to wiggle her way down in attempt to escape Chat Noir's hold. Instead he murmured something about Ladybug in his sleep and tightened his arm around her hips. Marinette let out a frustrated snort and blew a stray tendril of hair from her face. As she was considering her next move, Chat Noir's bare nose trailed along her hairline at her nape. He stopped as his face bumped against her pigtail and she let out a sigh of relief. But it was short lived.

Soft lips pressed against her neck and Chat Noir murmured again. This time she was able to understand his words. "I want you to be mine, so much." He had to be dreaming of her alter ego and it pulled at Marinette's heartstrings. This was cruel. On some unconscious level, Chat Noir possibly understood he was holding the girl of his dreams in his arms.

"Chat," She called, giving his arm a light shake.

"Mm," he purred.

"You need to let me go."

"Don't want to," he all but growled, snuggling in tighter.

"You've dropped your transformation."

He stilled at her statement. Then the hand at her far hip curled tighter as he pulled her to lie on her back. Chat Noir released her but settled over Marinette, one hand either side of her shoulders. Unthinking she looked up at his face but it was cast in shadows, eclipsed by the faint moonlight filtering through her skylight above him.

"Perhaps you'd prefer me without my mask, milady." Chat Noir uttered as he lowered himself onto his forearms, still looming over her. His face was now close, canted slightly to the side as he drew even nearer.

"Chat…"

"Please," he pleaded, "Let me kiss you, at least once while I'm not affected by an akumatised person."

The raw agony in Chat Noir's voice touched Marinette on a level so deep she couldn't possibly deny him. She understood that pain, that yearning for someone. With both hands she cupped his face, imagining it was Adrien wanting her like this. "Okay, but just once."

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**And smooches next chapter. I know romantic cliffhanger - boo hiss. But hey, I figure it's a chance to let your imagination go nuts in the meantime XD**

**Thanks for reading!**

**PS. If you make enough noise I might post the next chapter tomorrow ;)**


	18. Kissing Revelations

_Wow, the last chapter certainly caused a stir and look, here's the next chapter as promised. You peeps certainly made a lot of noise (so much awesome). Here's a longer chapter for your efforts. Enjoy!_

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_Chapter 18 – Kissing Revelations_

Chat Noir's thumbs gently smoothed down her cheeks and then his lips were on hers, not soft and tentative as Marinette imagined but hungry and demanding. Four years of pent up passion for Ladybug was poured into that kiss and she lost herself to it. With her eyes closed Marinette released her own frustrated yearning for Adrien into that kiss. Her fingers snaked into his soft blonde hair, one leg lifted to snag around his thigh. She needed to be close to him. To feel the press of his body to hers. To have his racing heart beating in time with her own.

Apparently, the feeling was mutual. Chat Noir wound one arm around the back of her shoulders and the other at her waist. He broke away momentarily to suck in some much needed air and then his mouth was back on hers. Marinette vaguely registered one kiss had merged into at least two. She should push him away but a few more minutes wouldn't hurt.

"Did you kick off the blankets again." Tikki's familiar voice cut through the haze of lust.

Shock had Marinette's eyelids snapping wide open as the kwami activated the light on her phone. Chat Noir's unmasked eyes scrunched at the sudden brightness and he pulled his head to the side, shying away from the light. But she recognised that face, how could she not? She'd studied it in great detail over the last four years.

"Adrien?" she gasped.

Green eyes blinked to Marinette and then to her kwami. "Marinette? Tikki?" he rasped with astonishment.

The kwami's head was zipping from one miraculous holder to the other. "Um, you're dreaming right now. Go back to sleep."

"Tikki," Adrien repeated and then looked fixedly at Marinette. Leaning back, he uttered with shock. "You're Ladybug."

Marinette pointed a finger at him in return. "And you're Adrien."

The boy lifted his hand and touched his face in a panic. "I thought I was dreaming."

"You are," Tikki said with authority.

"Don't listen to her," Plagg interjected in a sing song voice.

The two teens stared at each other in shock while their kwami's bickered. Marinette could feel her cheeks beginning to burn just as Adrien's flushed as well. Suddenly his eyebrows lowered in anger. "You've listened to me all evening as I poured my heart out and you're Ladybug!"

"Like you've got a leg to stand on, _Adrien_. I poured my heart out to you while you were Chat Noir."

The pair sat in a stare off for a whole minute before Plagg cut in. "You were both happily sucking each other's faces just moments ago. As much as I hate mushy stuff it's better than cranky miraculous holders." He turned to Tikki, "They're less likely to provide quality cheese."

Adrien huffed as he looked at his kwami. "So, the fact that she ripped out my heart for the umpteenth time means nothing?"

Marinette raised her hands in confusion. "I don't even know what I did to upset you so much."

The blonde rounded on her. "You held my hand for an hour. Ladybug never does that. Maybe pushing for a kiss was too much. But when I blew in your ear you shoved me away and laughed."

Confusion had her nose crinkling. "Hair tickled my ear. I tried to tell you as much. Besides, why were you blowing in my ear to begin with?"

He looked away, rubbing at his nape in a clear fluster. "Because…"

"Because what?"

Biting on his bottom lip he looked up at her sharply. "Because it turned me on when you did it to me accidently."

Marinette frowned. "When did I do that?"

"When we were watching Asterix and Obelix. You were lying half on me and when you shifted you blew in my ear."

"And you liked it?" Marinette said quietly as she relived the memory. It explained why Chat Noir had acted so strangely when he left. Yet she pinkened when she realised it was in fact Adrien under the mask, meaning she'd turned on her old crush.

"Yes, and I didn't understand why. I didn't think I was attracted to you, to Marinette, but I couldn't deny my reaction. I'd just wanted to replicate that moment with Ladybug. I hoped her reaction would be the same as mine."

"And it wasn't," Marinette said in understanding.

"No," Adrien confirmed quietly. "But now I'm confused. Why did you agree to kiss me?"

Marinette shrugged and glanced up at him from her bangs. "Because I understand what it's like to want someone so much it hurts."

Shock had him sitting back momentarily, then those green eyes narrowed slightly. "Did you realise it was me? I mean Adrien."

She gave a shake of her head and watched him warily, unsure how he'd react.

Adrien swallowed and edged slightly closer. "What if…" Dropping his gaze from hers, the model shook his head. "Forget it."

"Forget what?"

"I-I, this is too much. I don't know what to think. Heck, I don't know if my brain is fully functioning right now. I should go home. Plagg, claws out."

With shock, Marinette watched as Adrien vanished under the familiar visage of her partner. "Chat…" she uttered as her jaw grew slack.

Green feline eyes met hers in a look of anguish. "We can talk tomorrow."

Before she could say another word, Chat Noir was on his feet and busy unlatching the skylight lock. Without conscious thought, Marinette snapped out her hand trying to catch his tail as he bolted from the room. Yet she missed and was left sitting alone with her kwami, unsure what to do.

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**Question: should Marinette chase after Chat Noir as Ladybug or should she wait until the following day to speak with Adrien/Chat? You know, let them both stew on it a bit? I'm having trouble deciding. Have started writing the latter but I'm wondering if the former would be more entertaining. Please let me know your thoughts in the review box below.**

**Thanks for reading :)**


	19. More than Words

_Dear Reader, I had some amazing feedback as to where this chapter could go and it's taken me a while to decide. This morning I just let my fingers do the typing and this is what we have. Thank you so much for your support :)_

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_Chapter 19 – More than Words_

Chat Noir was bounding across the rooftops as the thought struck him that he was running away from his troubles, again. As his feet touched down on the following building, his steps slowed to a trot. Throwing his head back, Chat scrunched his masked eyes closed and stopped. "What am I doing?" he asked himself out loud. Dropping his face into his hands, the black clad hero sucked in a slow steadying breath. He needed to think rationally but it was hard when emotions like anger, hurt and betrayal ate at him. But honestly, had Marinette/Ladybug done anything worse than he had?

Raking his gloved hands through his hair, Chat Noir laid back his cat ears and let out an angry snort. At this point, his reaction was more a pressure release since he wasn't quite sure where to direct his rage, but he needed to get a grip on himself. Honestly, it was a miracle Hawkmoth hadn't sent an akuma his way already.

Agitation had Chat Noir pacing the narrow pitch of the roof he stood upon. Inwardly he hoped that no one was sleeping in the room below, as they would think there was a ghost on the prowl.

With his intense gaze focused on the tiles at his feet, Chat Noir didn't immediately notice the other person leaping his way. Only as he reached the end of the roof, when he pivoted around to pace the other way, did his cat ears pick up the soft sound of a thud nearby. Lifting his head, Chat Noir froze on the spot as Ladybug sprinted towards him, skidding to a halt before him. Her gloved hands wrapped around his upper arms as she looked at him with steely determination.

Those familiar blue eyes tracked across his face and her bravado seemed to ebb. Chat watched as Ladybug's top teeth sank against her bottom lip, pulling it nervously under her top lip. As his eyes lifted from her mouth to her gaze it dawned on him. She was hesitant because she knew who lay behind the black mask now. She knew he was Adrien Agreste, and he had broken her heart as badly as she'd crushed his.

Anger eased into empathy. Chat Noir's hands raised and settled themselves on Ladybug's hips. The expression on her masked face echoed his pain and uncertainty. Movement over her shoulder caught his attention and his eyes bulged. "Akuma," he hissed quietly.

Panic etched itself across Ladybug's features as they stared at each other. Poised as they contemplated their next move. Suddenly, Ladybug's hands skated up his arms, along his shoulders and cupped his jaw. The move had him unconsciously stepping forward as she tilted his face down, the burning intent in her eyes so fervent that Chat Noir forgot about the akuma as Ladybug launched to her toes and claimed his mouth with her own.

A euphoric groan escaped Chat Noir as Ladybug curled herself around him, one hand sifted into his hair with wide spread fingers while the other snaked around his broad back. For years he'd dreamed of this moment, of having his lady kiss him like this. As if she were trying to brand his very soul with such searing intensity. He wanted to speak the words, to declare how much he loved her in that moment, yet he couldn't pull himself away from the magic of her mouth.

Part of his brain tried to remind him that this resolved nothing. While passion was a form of communication, it wasn't the same as talking things through. However, Chat Noir didn't want to think right now. He wanted to feel. He wanted to revel in a dream come true. But the shriek of metal straining under extreme conditions had the pair parting lips. Two masked faces turned serious as they realised the akuma had found a replacement victim.

"Hawkmoth really has the worst timing," Chat Noir growled with a shake of his head.

Ladybug's gaze was on the akuma, assessing the current situation. "Yet he's as unimaginative as ever. Looks like he's resurrected Gorizilla."

A wince passed over Chat's face as he thought of his bodyguard. "Crap, he's probably in trouble because _Adrien _was mysteriously absent from his room again."

At this, Ladybug turned her head and smirked. "Suddenly your lateness to all those akumas revolving around a certain model makes sense."

Plucking his baton from his back, Chat Noir couldn't help but add, "Indeed. You were busy carrying me in your arms." Leaning close, he whispered, "And I loved every second of it."

Ladybug gave him a playful shove, clearly regaining some of her usual confidence. "Let's get this done."

* * *

**What can I say, this story is meant to be fluff and I wanted to ease up on the angst. Yes, they need to speak to each other and nut things out but I figured some more kissing was just plain fun. **

**Of course things will be weird in the morning, the angst hasn't completely disappeared ;)**


	20. Light of Day

_Chapter 20 – Light of Day_

The battle with Gorizilla had taken longer than anticipated and by the time it ended, both Ladybug and Chat Noir were exhausted and ready for sleep. After doing their customary fist bump, the pair said an awkward goodbye in the sanctuary of the rooftop shadows, neither sure if they could or should kiss the other. After bobbing their heads about like large pigeons, they finally gave each other a fleeting peck on the lips and dashed away in opposite directions.

Ladybug got very little sleep, as her mind rushed a million miles a minute. Jumping between self-doubt, over analysis and reliving their kisses.

Chat Noir on the other hand, dove through his bedroom window, dropped his transformation then flopped backwards onto his bed with a dreamy sigh and massive grin on his face. His mind was occupied with the more pleasant aspects of their encounter, meaning he fell asleep with relative ease.

By morning, both woke up feeling unsure of where they stood with the other. Marinette overslept, having only dozed off some two hours prior. A manic blur rushed around the room in her desperation to make it to school on time while resembling something close to human. Zombie Marinette was not a good look.

Adrien's morning routine was a clone of every other. The finely tuned synchronisation of his morning duties was drummed out with the precise beat of Nathalie's droned orders. Meaning he was in the car and on his way to school looking as put together as the model he was. Outwardly he was the picture of youthful male beauty and composure. Inside lingered a cyclonic storm of emotional worry. Had Ladybug only kissed him to save them both from akumatisation? Or had it been real?

As the car pulled up to the curb, Adrien's brow furrowed in confusion. It had to have been more than a mere save, surely? Tugging the strap of his bag over his shoulder, the model exited the car as his bodyguard held open the door. It turned out the man hadn't been in trouble with regards to Adrien's whereabouts. In fact, the gorilla of a man had been stood up for a hot date he'd been very keen for. Reaching out, Adrien patted the large man on the arm, "I hope you have a better day today."

A grunt in the affirmative was all the response given. The bodyguard had never been the talkative type.

Straightening his shoulders, Adrien took two paces from the car when he caught sight of Marinette jogging across the pedestrian crossing with a croissant between her teeth. Her arms were laden with textbooks which were slipping from her grasp as she rushed forward. As she made it to the footpath, one of the books dropped to hit her knee, making her stumble.

Adrien raced towards her but was too far away to prevent her tumble. Books scattered across the pavement with an audible slap as Marinette's hands shot out instinctively to save herself further damage. As soon as he reached her, Adrien dropped to a crouch and scooped her into his arms. "Are you alright?"

Big blue eyes stared at him as the croissant dropped out of her mouth and onto her lap. "Adrien," she gasped. Those eyes darted away from him and to the sudden audience they'd evoked. "Everyone is looking."

He glanced at her sideways, his eyebrows dropping in annoyance. "So? What's important is that you're okay."

"You should put me down."

Green eyes darted to her grazed knees and hands. "You should see the school nurse first."

Only then did Marinette seem to realise that she was injured. The sting to her abraded skin registering as she scrutinised her wounds. "Alright," she uttered but Adrien was already moving, his long strides eating up the distance to the school.

As he reached the steps he called out to Nino. "Grab her books please."

"Sure dude," Nino nodded, moving into action.

Alya jogged to their side, needing to do so to keep up with the determined model. "That was a nasty fall."

"I've got her," Adrien declared in a voice so resolute that both girls blinked at him with surprise.

"I noticed," Alya smirked as she gave her best friend a meaningful look.

Marinette felt the warmth of her blush, a blush that shouldn't have been there. She was supposed to be disillusioned about Adrien. At least that's what every one of her schoolmates thought. Yet her mind returned to the moment when she'd discovered it was Adrien under Chat Noir's mask. Right after they'd been kissing each other like there was no tomorrow.

And here he was, acting like her very own white knight. Carrying her like a maiden in need of rescue and she didn't know what to think. There had been many times when Chat Noir had carried her just like this, be it as Marinette or Ladybug. Depending on the guise, her partner had responded in kind. As Marinette it had always been with politeness and a touch of cheekiness. With Ladybug, he'd flirt and grin at her unless imminent danger threatened them. Well with the exception of the early days in their partnership when he was distracted by her so easily it annoyed her to no end.

Now she was beginning to see where Chat was coming from. She had been the same with Adrien. It was like putting a shiny object in front of a bowerbird. Temptation, want, need. Must have now. The urge had been undeniable and hard to ignore.

Feeling suddenly shy, Marinette glanced up at Adrien through her dark lashes. His jaw was set in determination as he carried her through the school. He ignored the heads turning their way and powered onward. Only when they reached the first aid room did he stop, asking Alya to open the door for him.

A part of her mind registered that Adrien was carrying her across the threshold and an inner part of her squealed in delight. How she would have longed for such action while she was crushing on him. Yet her heart was pounding at his proximity, and at the notions in her head. The Marinette of the past had dreamed of one day marrying Adrien. Of sharing a future together. But what about now? And what was he thinking?

Chat Noir claimed to love Ladybug but was that really true when he'd only ever treated Marinette as a friend? Damn, this was why she'd lost so much sleep. Kissing him had been so much simpler. No words, just feelings. Blissful, heavenly feelings of lips and souls meeting.

Heck, she wanted to reach up and grab him by the shirt collar. Dragging his face towards hers so they could fuse their mouths together once more. And for once, she was pretty certain Adrien would let her…and Marinette didn't know what to do with that.

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**See, not too much angst, just confusion. These dorks will work it out soon enough ;)**

**I bet Alya would be impressed if Marinette did make the move she was imagining with Adrien in the final paragraph XD**


	21. Making it Better

_Chapter 21 – Making it Better_

Where was the school nurse? Adrien was scowling as he glared from one side of the room to the other. He knew Marinette was in no real danger of anything worse than infection but still, he wanted his lady attended to. Blonde eyebrows shot upward as he realised where his own mind had gone. Turning his head, he looked at Marinette, those enchanting baby blues were studying at him in return. Instinct had him edging his face closer to hers.

The attraction between them was palpable. It explained his reaction when Marinette blew in his ear. His body had recognised the girl beneath the mask. Even now, as his eyes raked over the place where her mask would sit when transformed, he wondered how he'd been so blind. Not only in seeing her physically but also in identifying her as a person he already knew. Both Ladybug and Marinette exhibited the same traits. Though Ladybug seemed much more confident.

Adrien supposed that he too behaved differently as Chat Noir. When transformed he was much more open about his cockiness and looks. The composure of the perfect son fell away and the playful side of Adrien emerged when he was wearing the cat suit. While Ladybug was much more serious than Marinette. When it came down to it, he felt unshackled from his regular level of responsibilities while she was suddenly underpinned by them.

"The antiseptic spray is over here," Alya stated, bringing Adrien back from his own thoughts.

"Is there gauze and strapping tape?" Damn, his voice was a decided octave lower. He hoped neither of the girls noticed.

"Probably," Alya answered as she rifled through the first aid box on the wall.

Turning to the gurney opposite, Adrien lowered Marinette down. As much as he enjoyed holding her, she was getting heavy.

"Adrien, how about you see if you can find the nurse?" Alya suggested.

"I am not leaving my partner."

Alya blinked, then nodded while trying to conceal her grin. "That's okay, I'll see if I can find the nurse."

As soon as she was gone, Marinette yanked his sleeve. "Adrien, you can't say that!"

"Say what?"

"That we're partners."

"But we are."

"They don't know that. They can't know that!"

"Why?" He asked as he leaned an elbow on the gurney, resting his chin on his palm.

"You know why."

At that Adrien threw her a smirk. "Don't you worry, I'll make sure everyone is clear on the status of our relationship."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You'll see," he grinned then reached for her hands, uncurling her fingers to see how badly grazed her palms were. The fleshy base of both were finely abraded, deep enough to draw blood but not much. "How are your knees," he asked as he turned his head in the direction of her legs.

Marinette winced as she looked at her hands. "My knees are a little sore but I think the material of my shorts took the brunt of my fall. As well as my hands."

"That nurse is taking forever," Adrien grumbled as he cleaned up her hands with water and cotton wool balls, then began using the antiseptic spray.

Finally, the nurse arrived with Alya and took over. Adrien shuffled out of the way, standing with his hands in his pockets as he watched the nurse quickly finish the job he'd started. The three students were given late notes to take to class explaining their absence. On their way out, Alya explained that Nino had taken Marinette's textbooks with him. To Adrien's annoyance, Marinette seemed to fixate on her best friend and barely shot him a glance. He didn't know what she was playing at, but he intended to clear that up as soon as he got the chance.

* * *

**Seems the cat has his back up about being ignored. Oh what will he do I wonder ;)**

**Until next time, stay beautiful :)**


	22. Return of the Wingman

_Chapter 22 – Return of the Wingman_

What had Adrien been thinking? Stating he was her partner in front of Alya, the Ladyblogger, of all people. What if she pieced together that they were Ladybug and Chat Noir? It wasn't like they could claim they were seeing each other, everyone assumed that Adrien wasn't interested in her. Though he had kissed her, twice. But not as Adrien kissing Marinette, it had been Chat Noir kissing Ladybug. Gah, they were the same people yet this made everything so damn complicated.

Alya was eyeing her with blatant curiosity. No doubt wondering why Adrien had been so protective. Oh wait, he was her friend. Every time in the past when things seems to get exciting on the feelings front, Adrien whipped out the friendship card. Yet Marinette couldn't pay attention to Adrien now. She needed to defuse the potential bomb that was Alya's curiosity.

Already she could see the cogs turning in the other girl's mind. Probably wondering why Adrien had referred to Marinette as his partner. Perhaps she could say they were doing a project together, but what subject could she use as an excuse that Alya wasn't part of but Adrien was?

However, when her best friend's eyes met hers, Marinette was miffed at the mischief dancing there. "Should you really be walking up the stairs?"

The dark-haired girl baulked in surprise. "I-"

Alya cut her off as she looked pointedly at Adrien. "Maybe you could carry her again? We wouldn't want to cause further damage to her knees."

Before Marinette could utter a word of protest, she was swept off her feet. Shocked blue eyes darted from Adrien's focussed features to Alya's satisfied smirk and the colluding wink thrown her way. What was her best friend doing? Wasn't she meant to be shielding her from Adrien's presence, given recent events? Yet here she was finding an excuse for Marinette to be close to the model once more.

"I've got you," Adrien stated, drawing her attention back to his face. Those gorgeous green eyes flicked between studying her face and concentrating on where he was going. Each glance her way had his head moving just a little closer to hers before he turned away. The proximity of all that glorious hotness was mesmerising. Her arm pressed against his chest impulsively shifted to loop around his shoulders, bringing her into further contact with his body.

In that moment Marinette swore she felt his heartbeat rapidly increase as the side of her boob fused against his chest. His lips parted as he sucked in air a little faster. And his emerald gaze seemed more focussed on her now instead of where he was going.

"I hope I'm not too heavy," she uttered before wetting her dry bottom lip with her tongue.

Adrien's head remained turned to her. "Not at all. I could hold you all day." Hungry eyes dropped to stare at her mouth and were only torn away as the model made a misstep on the stairs and had to quickly correct his balance to stop from tumbling forward.

There was the faintest snigger from Alya who quickly looked away as if the clouds in the sky were extremely interesting.

A dark blush stole over the model's entire face as he diverted his gaze to the well-trodden path to their next classroom. A sheepish, "Sorry," fell from his lips as he reached the closed door. Only then did he ease Marinette to her feet, her body sliding down his torso with her arm loosening from his shoulders until her hand rested at his nape.

The words from her lips were a breathless whisper, "It's okay. Um, thanks."

"Anytime," he replied, staying firmly in place. Inclining his face closer to hers before seeming to catch himself. A crooked yet unsure smile lit his features as he reached for the doorhandle. "Ladies first."

Alya held up the late note as she walked in beside Marinette, placing it quickly on the teacher's desk as they hurried to their seats. Only then did the budding reporter throw her best friend a sly eyebrow wiggle and a smirk in Adrien's direction. "I think someone is finally seeing you as more than a friend, partner."

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**Gotta love a determined bestie set on matchmaking! **

**Thanks for reading :) - I'd comment more but it's late and I need to go to bed. Feel free to feed the review box below ;)**


	23. Needing an Epiphany

_Chapter 23 – Needing an Epiphany _

Adrien pressed his cool fingers against his heated cheeks in attempt to rid himself of the blush staining his face. The move gave him a brief interlude as he stared at his tablet upon his school desk, trying to reboot his brain. He was in class, he couldn't be daydreaming about Marinette right now. Even if he was sure that the weight of her stare sat upon his back, no doubt Alya was busy grilling her in some silent form about their earlier exchange.

He hadn't meant to call Marinette his partner. It had been a mere slip of the tongue. Already his brain had linked her to Ladybug on an unconscious level, even if the rest of him was still trying to accept the two halves as a whole. More importantly, he was fretting about how she was feeling about the whole situation.

While he'd stated that he was going to let everyone know their relationship status as Marinette and Adrien, he wasn't entirely sure how he was going to go about it. For example, how was he going to correct the misconception that he was only interested in Marinette as a friend? What could he use as sudden driver for his switch in thinking?

An elbow nudge from Nino brought Adrien back to the present. Green eyes sharpened on the teacher who was outlining their next project. The model quickly scribbled down some notes, mentally taking a snapshot of the information on the board as he did so. Working under pressure was nothing new for Adrien, although sometimes he wished he was working on his computer since his swift fingers typed so much faster than he could write.

Suddenly he froze as he looked at his fingers, wiggling them as a wide grin spread across his face. He knew just what to do. Now all he had to do was pick the perfect song…

So, for the rest of the morning, Adrien's attention was split between listening to the lesson and searching his music memory for the perfect lyrics. A song could have a fabulous melody but inappropriate lyrics could completely convey the wrong message. He needed something which described his feelings. Outlining exactly how much Marinette meant to him in a way that no one could misunderstand the meaning.

But all his favourite songs weren't quite right. All the ballads he could think of with a strong piano presence weren't the perfect fit. At lunch he got out his phone, flicking through his music library to no avail.

Nino blinked up at him with his sandwich halfway to his mouth. "Dude, is something wrong?"

A frustrated frown sat heavily on the model's features. "I'm trying to find a song but I'm not having any luck."

The other boy perked up. "Who's it by? Do you know the title?"

Adrien shook his blonde head. "No, I'm looking for something with a specific meaning and nothing comes to mind that suits."

A dark eyebrow arched above Nino's glasses. "And what meaning would that be?"

"It's… never mind."

This only made Nino stare at him harder. "Dude, is this about a girl?"

"Is it that obvious?"

At that his best friend cracked up. "Anytime a dude is looking that mystified it usually involves a girl."

Adrien couldn't help but chuckle in return. "I see, then yes, it is about a girl."

Nino gestured with a wave of his hand for the model to continue but at that moment Alya placed her lunch tray on the table beside the former, disrupting their conversation. "Hey Prince Charming," she teased as she looked to Adrien.

The model quirked an eyebrow. "Prince Charming?"

"You know, because you dashed in to rescue the damsel in distress – as in Marinette."

It was then that Nino gave his best friend a knowing looking with a matching smirk. Adrien turned back to Alya. "She was hurt, why wouldn't I go to her aid?"

His comment seemed to take away some of the conviction from her features. Puzzlement hazed her eyes for a moment. "But you ran towards her just as she was about to trip over. You must have been looking at her to begin with."

The familiar burn of a blush heated his cheeks and only intensified as Marinette approached them with her lunch tray in her hands. Adrien immediately stood, reaching for the tray. "You shouldn't be carrying that."

"Why?" she asked, her nose wrinkling in confusion.

"Because of your hands," he said with a pointed glance.

"Oh," she uttered as he plucked the tray from her limp fingers as she studied the dressings on her palms. "I'm okay."

Alya wore a smug lopsided grin as Adrien placed the tray on the table. It seemed at least one person was convinced of his interest in Marinette. He supposed that was a start. But his thoughts were quickly muddled as the dark-haired girl sat beside him, her knee brushing his under the table. The model swallowed as he quickly glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "H-How are you feeling?"

"My hands and knees are still a little tender but I'll live." Her reassuring smile had his heartbeat shifting up a gear. And then she winked at him. Good grief, she was throwing his Chat Noir antics back at him and he couldn't stop his expression from mirroring hers.

"I'm glad to hear it."

Neither looked away from the other and Adrien swore he felt the brush of Marinette's fingertips on the side of his thigh, as if she wanted to place her hand on his leg. Like a girlfriend would do. Damn, he wanted that. He even subtly shifted his leg towards hers in encouragement.

But the moment was broken as Nino burped and Alya swatted him on the chest with the back of her hand. "Nino, are your manners under your hat?"

"What? I didn't even have time to say 'excuse me' before you slapped me."

"You did so."

"Did not. You're such a bossy woman."

"You love it."

Nino crossed his arms, "You hope I do."

"I know you do." She said with a wave of her finger.

"Only when it involves kissing," he smirked.

At that both Marinette and Adrien couldn't help but snigger.

"Sounds about right," Alya replied with a mock roll of her eyes. They all knew she and Nino thrived on a bit of banter.

None of them had noticed Kim approaching the table until he nudged Nino on the shoulder with his fist. "Impressive burp, bro."

"Don't encourage him," Alya groaned.

"Girlfriends," Nino said in explanation to Kim.

Adrien couldn't resist glancing at Marinette when he heard that word. Much to his delight, Marinette was staring at him in return and by the way she was looking at him, she was thinking along similar lines too.

Damn, he needed to find that perfect song. Quickly.

* * *

**So, what song would you want to be serenaded with by your ultimate crush? Please share in the review box ;)**

**I hope you're all staying safe during these strange times. Being a germ-a-phobe (or at least acting like one) seems to be the way to go to avoid the Corona virus. I keep waiting to see the zombies... hang on, it's not the T-virus - my bad. I've played way too much Resident Evil over the years.**

**Anyway. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Chances are I'll be slow to post due to lock-down, working, home schooling kids and life in general. Tiring and challenging times. But stay positive people, and keep reading :)**


	24. Thanks to Eclectic Taste

_Chapter 24 – Thanks to Eclectic Taste_

The rest of the school day was something of a blur. Or at least it was to Adrien. With his mind partly occupied in his quest for the perfect song, he was only half taking in his actual school work. Before he knew it, the bell rang and he was packing up his bag and racing down to the waiting grey sedan.

"Adrien!"

He paused at the sound of his name, looking over his shoulder for the owner of the feminine voice. Not that he really needed to look to know who it was, he'd recognise that voice anywhere. Marinette was waving at him frantically from the top of the metal staircase.

Adjusting his bag strap on his shoulder, Adrien reversed his direction and hurried up the stairs to his partner. "Do you need help?"

"I just… I just wanted to check you're okay."

The model looked at her quizzically. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You've seemed preoccupied, all day." She admitted with a sheepish drop of her head, peering up at him through her dark fringe.

"Sorry, I've had a lot on my mind," he replied cryptically while giving her a hot once over.

Marinette's cheeks pinkened at his less than subtle ogling. "Did you… I mean would you like to hang out later this afternoon? You know…" she waved vaguely at towards the rooftops.

Sinking his hands into the pockets of his jeans, Adrien couldn't help but smile at her awkwardness. She was such a sweetheart. Hopefully soon she'd be his official sweetheart. And while he would have loved more than anything to spend time with her, he had a secret mission of his own to complete.

"You should take it easy," he said as he reached for her wrists, staring pointedly at her hands. He leaned in close to whisper, "Wouldn't want your yoyo slipping out of your grasp at a critical moment."

She blinked up at him, seeming dazed. He wasn't sure if it was from his words or his proximity. "Oh," she uttered with clear disappointment.

"How about I call you instead?"

That had the smile returning to her face. "I'd like that."

"Me too," he added with a wink. "But I've got to get going before I get the hurry up," he said with a nod in the direction of the waiting car.

"Okay," she breathed, "Talk to you later, Adrien."

Damn the way she said his name gave him chills in the best possible way. "Until then, Marinette." And given how she looked at him, she liked it when he purred her name in return.

* * *

Once at home, Adrien scoured his music collection. He was supposed to be doing piano practice, but as usual, he'd set his iPod to play a previously recorded session. Besides, he'd be playing for real later.

Tapping his finger against his chin, the model slowly paced as he eyed his wall of CDs. Many had been gifts from his childhood days. Yet he still liked purchasing his music in a physical sense. Opening the CD case and perusing the booklet inside was something he treasured. It was a learned trait he'd shared with his mother.

Suddenly his eyebrows shot towards his hairline. His mother. She'd had a vast collection of CDs. Dropping to a crouch, Adrien found the section he was looking for, duplicate copies of CDs his mother had loved. The collection was on the eclectic side of things. So many genres, even in different languages.

Adrien's finger traced along the CD spines and stopped at her English favourites. When he'd been little she'd told him about her time as an exchange student, travelling to Australia. There she'd gleaned a small bounty of CDs he'd later grown up with. A smile spread across his face as he found one by Savage Garden. Damn, his mother had loved that band. And as he turned over to read the listing of songs on the album he found what he was looking for.

* * *

**Thanks to those of you who shared possible songs. I had actually already picked out what Adrien would find but thought it would be cool to see other people's choices ;) **

**Anyhow, I hope you're all staying safe and healthy - so far so good for me too. Until next chapter, stay beautiful! :)**


	25. Distracted, Not Forgotten

_Chapter 25 – Distracted, Not Forgotten_

After finding the perfect song, Adrien had been busy searching the internet for sheet music. Once he'd found it, he began to practice on his piano for real. Caught up in the music, he lost all track of time until Nathalie knocked on his door and told him it was time to get ready for bed.

The shocked model swivelled on his piano stool and looked out his expanse of windows, silently cursing when he saw it was dark. He'd been so absorbed in his secret quest that he'd totally lost track of time. Snatching up his phone he inwardly berated himself. Green eyes cut to Plagg, but the kwami was fast asleep. He couldn't take out his frustrations there.

With a swipe of his finger, he unlocked his phone and quickly shot off a message to Marinette while really hoping he hadn't screwed things up again.

_Adrien: Are you still awake? I got caught up with piano practice._

_Marinette: I thought you'd forgotten about me :(_

_Adrien: You were certainly on my mind ;) Unfortunately I don't think I'll be able to call you. Just got orders to go to bed._

_Marinette: Okay._

One word from her, one which practically radiated disappointment as he stared at the phone screen. A frown set upon his lips, he needed to find a way to lift her mood and ease the strained tension between them. Rubbing his nape, Adrien glanced at his open window and then to his bathroom.

_Adrien: I've got to take a shower but I need to let the cat out after ;)_

_Marinette: Oh, he doesn't like staying in?_

_Adrien: Not when his favourite person is sounding dejected (plus he's also very partial to snuggles)._

_Marinette: I'll bet he likes to hog the blankets too._

_Adrien: Only when it's cold and he's got no one to cuddle up with. _

_Marinette: Sounds like a typical cat, always in need of affection._

_Adrien: Only from those he really likes. Any chance you'll leave a window open for him?_

_Marinette: Hmm, as long as he doesn't take too long._

_Adrien: Be ten minutes tops._

A warm smile spread across the model's lips. He was making progress. From across the room, Plagg cleared his throat and raised a sleepy eyelid. "You've got it bad, kid."

With a shrug that didn't even attempt to deny that truth, Adrien walked to his bathroom and had the quickest shower in his life. He barely paid attention to the clothes he threw on, knowing he'd be in his Chat Noir costume anyway. So, a pair of faded jeans and a loose long-sleeved knitted burnt orange top was good enough (his father would have cringed). Picking up his comb, he passed it through his damp hair with a few swift flicks, making it neater while brushing it away from his eyes.

Perusing himself quickly in the mirror, Adrien decided he looked okay given his hurry and then called upon his transformation. He couldn't help but grin as he stared back at his reflection. Chat Noir didn't require any sort of fussing to look like his usual self – a little scruffy around the edges but a whole lot of cheeky.

But he didn't linger. Turning out the lights in his room, Chat Noir leapt out of the window and into the night. He didn't take a direct route to Marinette's place but he didn't exactly take the long way either. Eagerness had him padding along her rooftop in minutes and he smiled with relief when he saw that his partner's skylight was open, awaiting his arrival.

Using his extended staff, Chat spiralled his way down and landed with the faintest of thuds. As his shadow blocked the moonlight from creeping into her bedroom, feline pupils adjusted to the lack of illumination and spied Marinette gazing up at him in return. His heartbeat ratcheted up a notch in both excitement and nervousness. Dropping to a crouch, he leaned his elbows on the opposite windowsills and smiled as he cradled his chin with both hands. "Hey there."

"I hear you're looking for a warm blanket."

Chat Noir arched a single masked eyebrow. "Really?" he leaned closer cupping one gloved hand close to his mouth as he loudly whispered, "I was actually hoping for snuggles."

The warmth of Marinette's chuckle had him grinning, flashing his white teeth in the dark.

"Well then, I suppose I'll have to let you in."

"And I'll have to accept your invitation," he stated as he slipped inside and purposefully dropped to his hands and knees, circling in one spot beside her as he kneaded the bed with his claws. Marinette continued to giggle and burst into full on laughter when he began to purr loudly.

She quickly covered her mouth, not wanting to attract the attention of her parents. Yet there was a slight quaver of apprehension in her voice as she asked, "Should I scratch behind your ears?"

It was clear that Marinette was as uncertain where she stood with him as he was with her. Sitting on his knees, Chat Noir cocked his head to the side and shuffled closer to her. Hoping his body language conveyed his willingness and invitation to be familiar. "What a silly question, of course you should." His black kitty ears even twitched in encouragement.

Grinning at his playful tone, Marinette lifted her hand and sunk her fingers into his blonde locks, gently scratching his scalp. "Better?"

"Mm," he affirmed leaning into her touch as his masked eyelids drooped in contentment. All the anxiety he'd been feeling ebbed away at her touch. Things were slipping back into the easy camaraderie they'd had before.

"I thought you were coming over to give me some attention."

Raising one lazy eyelid, Chat Noir draped his arms across her thighs and laid his head down on top of them, clearly settling in. "In true cat fashion, I'm willing to soak up all the affection you're offering and grant you the privilege of my body heat in return."

"Oh, you're so generous."

"Aren't I just? Did I mention you can touch me however you want?" Suddenly Chat Noir's eyes snapped open. "Wait, that sounded way dirtier than I meant…"

Marinette merely shook her head as she snorted back a laugh. "And here I was thinking you'd just given me permission to pull your tail."

"Ha, ha," he replied as he glared at her half-heartedly from the corner of his eyes. Rolling to his side, Chat Noir stretched out to his full length and laid his head on the pillow beside hers. He watched as the mirth faded from her eyes while her gaze raked over his masked features.

Clearing her throat, Marinette looked at him seriously. "Thanks for today. For rescuing me."

One side of his mouth curled upward, "All part of the job, milady."

And, of course, she swatted his chest with the back of her hand in a move which screamed of her alter ego. Yet that typical Ladybug reaction was curbed by Marinette's sudden shyness as she turned her face away from him, gnawing at her bottom lip. "You know what I mean. It's not like it's Adrien's job to do that."

"I would have done it regardless. You should know that." Lifting his hand, Chat gently tucked a stray tendril of her dark hair behind her ear. "I've always cared about you, Marinette. I thought that was obvious."

Those blue eyes returned to his. Uncertainty lingered there, but so too did hope. "How do you feel about everything now? Knowing about everything, about all sides of…us?"

Chat Noir's fingers curled into the loose locks at her nape as his smile grew tender. "I'm glad it was you. The only thing I regret is my own stupidity."

Marinette grinned back at him. "I hear it's going around."

"Luckily, I hear there's a cure."

"And what's that?"

"Snuggles."

And for the majority of the night, Chat Noir and Marinette lay cuddled up together in each other's arms.

Chat may or may not have stolen most of the blankets.

* * *

**Sorry for the delay on this one (the chapter is aptly named for me too) - I figure the almost triple 500 word count of this chapter should help. ****While a lot of other writers have said that having to stay home due to COVID19 has meant they have more time to write it's actually been the opposite for me. I normally write when I'm alone on my days off work when the kids are at school and the hubby is at his work. Guess what? I'm never alone now XD**

**I hope you're all staying safe regardless of where in the world you are. Though it's really got to suck for those people in the USA, with the largest count of cases by over a million compared to any other country in the world is just plain scary. ****Take care, participate in social distancing and wash your hands properly - it's certainly working here in Australia.**

**Next chapter is going to be fluffy people, I think we need it. Stay tuned :)**


	26. Tempting Entanglement

_Chapter 26 – Tempting Entanglement_

"Marinette."

Blissfully warm, the girl who belonged to that name snuggled deeper into the warmth before her and let out a sigh.

"Marinette."

"Mm," she murmured while smiling. She knew that dreamy voice and it was one that had often starred in her dreams, the really good ones.

There was a quiet chuckle from that delicious voice and she felt the gentle caress of fingertips against her cheek. "Wake up, beautiful. I need to go."

Letting out an annoyed grunt at the prospect of having the object of her fantasies depart, Marinette finally scrunched open an eye and almost screeched when she saw that a very real Adrien Agreste was smiling down at her. Oh, and her fingers were hopelessly entangled in the knitted loops of his top, holding him firmly in place against her.

"Adrien," she gasped as her brain slowly processed why he was in her bed. A flush stole over her cheeks as she remembered that Chat Noir had come over for a visit. But as she peered at her akuma fighting partner, she had to remind herself that the boy before her was the same guy just without the mask. It was still a fact she was getting used to.

The crooked tilt of his lips and fondness in his eyes was something she was accustomed to seeing from his alter ego and it was so damn amazing to see that look replicated on Adrien Agreste. Part of her was tempted to use her current hold on his jumper to yank him forward and lay a kiss on those tempting lips. But last night all they did was cuddle. As if both of them were unsure where they stood with the other.

It made Marinette wonder if she'd been unclear as Ladybug when she'd kissed Chat Noir during the akuma threat on the rooftops. Sudden clarity on the situation dawned in her mind. Did he think she'd only done it to save him? Pursing her lips, she inched a little closer. "What time is it?"

"Early, but I have to get home before Nathalie bashes my bedroom door down wondering why I'm not answering her normal morning instructions."

Glancing down at her enmeshed fingers, she chewed on her bottom lip as she considered her next move. Did she dare initiate a kiss with Adrien now? Peering up bashfully through her eyelashes, Marinette eased her hands free but hesitated to relinquish her hold.

"Adrien."

His eyebrow lifted with interest at her husky tone. "Yes."

"Do you, um, I mean can I…"

That blonde head of his cocked to the side as he waited for her to finish.

Swallowing nervously, Marinette wasn't sure if she had the nerve to ask. There was a natural confidence she felt when faced with Chat Noir but with Adrien it was different. No matter how much she tried to convince herself otherwise.

But before she could spit out the words, Adrien's phone sounded a reminder alarm. Dropping his green gaze to retrieve his phone, Marinette inwardly kicked herself.

Those expressive green eyes returned to her with an apologetic frown. "I'm sorry, but I really have to go. I'll see you at school?"

Forcing a smile, Marinette nodded. "Yeah, of course."

"Good," and before she could react, Adrien leant forward and pressed a kiss to her cheek and gently tugged her hands free from his top. "See you soon."

With disappointment, she watched as he turned to his kwami to quickly transform back into Chat Noir then scurried out her skylight. Shaking her head, she dropped her pillow over her face and screamed into it. "Why can't things ever be simple!"

Tikki gave her a sympathetic smile. "Just give it time, Marinette. You'll see."

* * *

**Yeah I know, it was back to a shorter chapter but hey the next one will be better ;)**

**Adrien needs to put the final steps of his plan together. Until next time, thanks for reading :)**


	27. Truly Madly Deeply

_Chapter 27 – Truly Madly Deeply_

While Adrien did see Marinette at school later than morning, he wasn't able to spend a lot of time with her because he had a mission to complete. Part one was to seek out a couple of accompanying musicians to help him create a better sound for the song he was preparing (while good on the piano alone, it would sound better with guitar and drums).

So, during his lunchbreak he sought out Juleka and Ivan. Once he explained what he wanted to do they were both onboard. Which meant part two had to come into play, they needed to practice together. Alas, this meant ghosting his friends for the week – including the object of his affection. Although he was quick to text her whenever he got the opportunity. He didn't want Marinette to think that he was avoiding her.

What made it worse was the full weekend photoshoot his father had organised. Yet he thanked his lucky stars that there was no akuma attack, as the likelihood of him being able to sneak away unseen had been almost zero. Again, he'd texted Marinette, sending a number of photo messages so she could see what he was modelling. He hoped that would keep him in the good books.

Finally, Monday rolled around and the final pieces were falling into place. He'd confirmed it was okay to use the music room during lunch with the appropriate teacher. Now the only thing left was to lure the love of his life into the location where she needed to be. Thankfully he'd managed to get a hold of Alya and keyed her into his plan. She was only too happy to help.

Sitting at a keyboard didn't have quite the same impact as that of a grand piano but there was slim to no chance of him ever being able to do this from home. Ivan was settled behind the drum kit, bopping his head to a beat he could only hear. Juleka was making sure her guitar was tuned properly for the final time and gave him a thumbs up.

Closing his eyes, Adrien drew in a slow steadying breath. Normally he didn't get stage fright but this was different. This had meaning and importance. Laying his hands upon the keys, Adrien set his fingers to the correct chords and mimicked the notes he would soon play without pressing down on the keys.

Suddenly there was a knock at the music room door and his heart almost leapt to his throat. Swallowing back his nerves, Adrien watched as Alya opened the door and led Marinette inside.

"What's all this?" his partner asked.

The model wet his lips and pivoted from the piano stool and held out his hands, taking both of Marinette's. "I want to play something for you."

Blue eyes widened in surprise and her cheeks flushed as he guided her to sit beside him on the piano stool. Glancing at Ivan and Juleka, they gave nods that they were ready and he began playing the first notes. Then he turned to look at Marinette with all his affection and love as he began to sing.

"I'll be your dream, I'll be your wish, I'll be your fantasy,

I'll be your hope, I'll be your love, be everything that you need,

I'll love you more with every breath truly madly deeply do,

I will be strong, I will be faithful 'cause I'm counting on a new beginning,

a reason for living, a deeper meaning, yeah

I want to stand with you on a mountain,

I want to bathe with you in the sea,

I want to lay like this forever,

until the sky falls down on me."

Marinette's eyes were brimming with tears as she smiled at him. He wanted to stroke her cheek but he needed to keep his hands on the keyboard.

"And when the stars are shining brightly in the velvet sky,

I'll make a wish send it to heaven and make you want to cry,

The tears of joy for all the pleasure and the certainty,

That we're surrounded by the comfort and protection of

the highest powers, in lonely hours, the tears devour you."

And then he was back to the chorus. All the while, Marinette keep gazing at him with adoration as he continued to sing. He was faintly aware of Alya filming the whole thing on her phone but Adrien's focus was on the love of his life, sitting beside him as he serenaded her with a song that had so much meaning to him already.

As he continued to croon, Marinette's eyes never left his and as the song came to an end, her arms swept around him in the fiercest hug she'd ever bestowed on him. Not that Adrien had much time to think about it, as her lips were suddenly on his, expressing more than words could ever convey.

Fingers tangled in his hair, pulling his face closer to hers as she kissed him with the kind of fervour he'd only ever dreamed about. Yet it was the unexpected clapping, whistling and general cheering that had the pair breaking apart to stare in shock at the crowd surrounding them, beaming in delight.

Marinette's hands clutched Adrien's shirt front as she buried her face in the hollow of his shoulder, sheltering her burning face from the onlookers. A lopsided smile spread across the model's lips as he wrapped his arms around her protectively and shrugged at their impromptu audience.

"What's going on?!" Came the nasal and all too familiar voice of Chloe.

The crowd parted as she stormed in with Lila snaking her way through the gap as well.

Alya was the one to answer, smugness set on her features as she broadcast to the entire crowd, "Adrien just got himself a girlfriend."

* * *

**I am so damn tempted to call the next chapter 'Chloe explodes into a puff of confetti' XD**

**Now then, you may wonder why I didn't use "I Knew I Loved You" by Savage Garden and the reason is because I thought that song suited Chat Noir with Ladybug better. The first line of "Truly Madly Deeply" really summed up Marinette's feelings for Adrien a lot, and I felt that his response was the second line. **

**Anyway, sorry for the delay in posting. Motivation was lacking due to real life stuff and I may or may not have been distracted by the Final Fantasy VII Remake. Just saying... ;) Don't worry I'll keep writing, sometimes it's more sporadic than other times. **

**Stay safe and thanks for reading :)**


	28. It Is What It Looks Like

_Chapter 28 – It Is What It Looks Like_

Peeking from the confines of Adrien's crisp white over-shirt, Marinette eyed her school nemesis yet couldn't do more than let out a sigh. She was still riding high on the elation of having Adrien sing to her, confessing his feelings and love so openly in front of all their friends. And those she deemed beyond the realms of friendship, at least for the most part.

Chloe's hands were balled into tight fists, her eyes were blazing with indignity while a muscle under her eye twitched in a way which was most unattractive. She was the living embodiment of a kettle about to boil. Heck, Marinette found herself scrutinising the brat's ears for escaping steam.

But before Chloe could explode into a barrage of verbal shrapnel, Lila pushed passed her and began to laugh. "Oh, this is the best prank ever! Well done, everyone."

Marinette's gaze crept up to Adrien's as her stomach seemed to bottom out. But the look of utter affection in his green peepers left no doubt to his feelings. This was no prank. In fact, Adrien dipped down to steal another peck from her lips before turning back to Lila. "This is real, Lila. The truth. I love Marinette Dupain-Cheng with all my heart."

Lila's mouth dropped open but it was the spoilt fury which was Chloe Bourgeois behind her that went all harpy. "RIDICULOUS! UTTERLY RIDICULOUS! THIS IS NOT HAPPENING! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME, ADRIEN!"

Having endured a straining lifelong friendship with Chloe, Adrien merely shrugged. "The heart wants what the heart wants." Again, his beaming attention returned to Marinette as he stole yet another peck.

A low guttural growl, which sounded suspiciously like a constipated bear, escaped from Chloe's clenched teeth. Neither paid her any mind. Nor did they listen to Lila, laughing hysterically as she attempted to convince everyone else that this was indeed a prank. However, the pair of annoying brats received no acknowledgement from their peers. Instead they watched as Adrien Agreste caressed Marinette Dupain-Cheng's cheek with the back of his fingers, mesmerised as they leaned towards each other for a tender kiss which left no doubt that this was indeed true love on display for all to see.

Rose was dabbing her eyes with the corner of her pretty pink hanky. "This is so beautiful."

Mylene was pushing up on her toes, trying to see Alya's phone screen. "Tell me you got all that recorded."

Alya grinned, "You bet I did."

Alix rubbed her hands together. "Post it on Instagram now and make sure you tag Chloe."

A smile stretched across Marinette's lips as she overheard that final comment, but her mouth was still blissfully in contact with Adrien's, meaning she was unable to share the sentiment. Besides, what really mattered was right her before her. A boy she had yearned for with hopeless abandon, having no clue that he felt the same because of their alter egos. It was a relationship with four sides yet now those pieces seemed to click together as if they were always meant to mesh.

In this moment, everything seemed perfect. But as life would have it, Ms Mendeleiv walked in a minute later and sent everyone packing. Plus, Marinette and Adrien got detention for inappropriate displays of physical affection on school grounds. Neither really cared.

* * *

**I hope that got you laughing. I figure we've only got a chapter or two left to go. Yep, we're at the pointy end of the story now. **

**Sadly, 'Chloe Explodes in a Puff of Confetti' was too long of a chapter title for the dropdown box *sigh* **

**Sorry for the delay in updates. As always, thanks for reading and I hope you're staying safe.**


	29. The Bug and the Pussycat

_Chapter 29 – The Bug and the Pussycat_

Ladybug sat cross-legged high up on the Eiffel Tower with her yoyo flipped open, replaying the video Alya had posted to Instagram. The wide smile on her face somehow got broader as she watched a certain couple lean in for a kiss. Happiness swelled in her chest. Never in a million years had she thought that her fantasy of becoming Adrien's girlfriend would become real. While all her past elaborate schemes to win him over had given her hope, some inner part of Marinette had assumed her chances of actually scoring Adrien as a boyfriend were low. The guy was a teen heartthrob for a reason.

Absently twirling her finger in the hair of her right pigtail, Ladybug was only faintly conscious of the light footfalls heading her way. She caught a glimpse of the lanky dark figure striding towards her from the corner of her eye, and as she turned her head to look a feeling of deep affection radiated from her features.

Chat Noir sat down beside her, peering over her shoulder to see what she was watching. "Again?" he grinned.

"Yeah, what can I say? I'm a romantic."

"Mm," Chat Noir hummed with a look of deep satisfaction. "As am I."

"I noticed," she added as she leaned her shoulder against his upper arm.

"So…now that Marinette and Adrien are a couple, where does that leave us?"

Ladybug eased her weight off her partner and sat up to look at him. "I don't really know. Honestly though, it's probably better that we keep our relationship secret along with our alter egos."

Chat Noir pouted. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," she chuckled as she ruffled his wild blonde locks with one gloved hand. "We can't have Hawkmoth cluing in, particularly when a certain romance has been shared over the internet."

Green eyes studied the yoyo phone in her hand as he let out an exasperated sigh. "And here I was thinking I'd finally gotten the girl."

Again, Ladybug beamed at him with a twinkle in her blue eyes. "You have but it's top secret."

"Meaning?"

"Chat Noir continues his relentless pursuit of his partner."

Black masked eyebrows lifted with interest. "You want to be chased?"

She rose to her feet, thumbing her yoyo closed. "It's what we do."

Following suit, Chat Noir stood as well. "And you'll continue to act all annoyed and put out by my flirting?"

Ladybug shrugged. "Well, mostly."

"Mostly?" he asked as he crossed his arms, one masked eyebrow cocked.

"If it's just us I might reciprocate."

Looking from side to side, Chat Noir took a step closer and leaned his face down towards hers. "We appear to be alone now."

"We're standing on a national monument. People own binoculars and drones."

"You really are a tease. You know that, woman?"

A cheeky grin spread across her features as she poked his chest playfully. "I'm no worse than you."

"Now that sounds like a challenge to me. Perhaps Adrien will suddenly feel self-conscious at school and keep his hands and lips to himself."

A snort escaped Ladybug, "You lack the restraint besides you'd be punishing both of us."

"There are times when I hate that you're right."

Walking backwards, Ladybug crooked a finger at him. "So, that leaves the chase Chat Noir."

"I suppose it does," he purred with a sensual gleam in his eyes, matched by his confident swagger. "The question is, what happens when I catch you?"

"Hmm, I guess it depends." Ladybug answered as she tapped a gloved finger against her chin.

"Depends on what?"

"If you catch me somewhere secluded or not."

A lopsided grin spread across his face. "I think I get the idea. Secluded it is."

And with that Ladybug raced off giggling while Chat Noir smirked as he chased after her.

_The End_

* * *

**There we have it, one story that was meant to be a quick write that ended up being much slower and longer than intended. Oh well, I hope you enjoyed it. **

**Thank you so much for reading this far and for your support. If you enjoyed this story, please follow me as an author - that way you won't miss what I post next. Cheers :)**


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